Saving All My Lovin' (5 page)

She hit the Save button then asked him to face the Webcam and she took his picture for the files.

“Well, all done.” She handed him his membership card.

“Can I make that appointment now?” He leaned casually against the counter.

Her eyes darted around for a minute. “Uh, sure.” She cleared her throat. “Do you have a day in mind?”

“How about tomorrow around seven?”

She swallowed as she brought up the schedule on the screen. “I’m booked at seven but I have an opening at six.”

“Fine. Six.” He stood back. “I’ll see you then.”

Before she could respond in the slightest, he turned and walked toward the café.

Barbara was shaking all over. Not in a lifetime did she think she’d see him again. And here of all places. She’d never told Marvin about Wil. She’d never told the girls, either.

But life being what it was, the long buried secret of her past would be all over the place in a heartbeat.

S
terling twirled the pen around between his fingers, ruminating over the information he’d gathered regarding Ann Marie and her marriage.

He tossed the pen aside and watched it roll across the desk until it ran into a crystal paperweight of the scales of justice and stopped.

The U.S. laws and those of Jamaica were a bit different on this particular issue. He’d hoped to have found a loophole of some sort, but that was not the case.

He hadn’t bargained on getting involved with a married woman. If he really wanted to be honest
with himself, he had no real desire for any long lasting commitment in any form. Marriage was not in the cards for him. He enjoyed the life of a bachelor and couldn’t imagine coming home to the same face day after day.

He swung his chair toward the window and looked out upon the Manhattan skyline. Ann Marie caught his eye. No question. There was something about her that was no-nonsense and vulnerable at the same time—a lethal combination. He could only imagine all that island fire let loose.

He drew in a breath, turned his chair back toward his desk and dialed the cell phone number she’d given him.

Ann Marie had finished up with her last real estate client of the morning and was preparing to leave and head over to the spa when her cell phone rang. She checked the number on the lighted dial. A slow smile eased across her lips.

“Hi.”

“Hey there. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No, not at all. I was just leaving to head over to the spa.”

“I have some free time. What if I meet you over there?”

Barbara’s warning sounded in her head. She
ignored it. “Sure. I should be there in about a half hour. I’ll meet you in the café. Don’t know what’s on the menu, but I’m sure it’s something good.”

“Perfect. I have about two hours then I need to get back for court.”

“See you then.” She disconnected the call and dropped the phone in her purse. “I’m gone for the rest of the day,” she called out.

Carol popped up from behind her desk just as Ann Marie passed by.

“Ann Marie.” She looked around as if she expected something awful to happen to her.

Ann Marie stood and tried to keep the annoyance off her face and out of her voice.

“Yes?”

Carol came from behind her desk. She kept her voice low. “A call came in for you earlier. You were with a client.”

Ann Marie frowned. “So why didn’t you just give it to me?” she snapped.

“I just thought…well, I’ve been watching you lately and you haven’t been yourself since those flowers came.”

Now she really was annoyed and not afraid to show it. “What does that have to do with giving me my messages? That’s your job!”

Carol was unfazed by Ann Marie’s growing ire.
“The message was from the same man who sent the flowers…and called the other day. It seemed to upset you so much. So I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to see you upset again.”

The plaintive tone reached that hidden spot in Ann Marie’s heart. She felt herself soften to this silly girl who maybe wasn’t so silly after all, but simply a nice girl who cared.

Ann Marie lowered her head. She had to stop thinking the worst of everyone. She finally looked at Carol.

“I…appreciate your concern. But I can handle my business.” She paused, taking in the sunken expression on Carol’s face. “Thank you. Very much.”

A smile sprung across Carol’s mouth. “No problem. Any way I can help.” She started to return to her desk.

“Uh, Carol…”

“Yes?” She frowned for a moment.

“The message…”

“Oh.” She sputtered a nervous laugh. She plucked the message slip from her desk and gingerly handed it to Ann Marie.

Ann Marie stared down at the neat script.
Terrance Bishop. Please return the call. Important.

Tightness built in her chest. What could Terrance possibly want now? Hadn’t he just about
ruined everything already? And they hadn’t even seen each other yet. She looked around. The office was buzzing with activity. She shoved the note in her purse. She’d call him from her cell phone once she got in her car.

She pushed through the glass and wood door and stepped out into the steamy afternoon. August had been barely tolerable and September still had a hold on them. She loosened the top button of her blouse then deactivated the alarm on her car.

Slipping inside she immediately turned on the engine followed by the air conditioning. She sat there for a few minutes until the car began to cool. She stole a glance at her purse almost as if the note inside was calling out to her, whispering her name—in Terrance’s voice.

She shook off the sensation. The hell with Terrance Bishop. Whatever he wanted would wait. She’d promised to meet Sterling and she had no intention of keeping him waiting.

When she pulled up across the street from Pause she caught a glimpse of Sterling walking inside. Her heart thumped one good time. He sure was a good looking man, she mused, watching the way his body fit just right in his pinstriped suit and the easy way he moved. She sat there staring until he disappeared inside and a car horn blared behind her to get
out of the way. She glanced over her shoulder, wanted to give the impatient driver the finger but changed her mind. The last thing she needed was an incident in front of her place of business. She pulled off and cruised around the block several times before she found a parking space.

By the time she got inside she’d already lost fifteen precious minutes.

“Hey Ann,” Elizabeth greeted from the front desk. “Glad you’re here. I desperately need to take a break. Barbara is busy with a client and Stephanie is holding it down in the exercise room.” She shook her head and stepped from behind the desk. “We have got to get some more help in here and quick. Desiree is in the café. She and Dawne are taking turns but they have their own business to run.”

Elizabeth rambled on about the staffing shortage and all Ann Marie wanted to do was make a quick dash in Sterling’s direction. From her vantage point she could see him in the café area.

“I saw Mr. Chambers a minute ago. But he didn’t look like he was here for any treatment. He didn’t even sign in, even though I asked him to.” She sounded annoyed. “He went straight to the café.”

“I know, I was supposed to meet him here for a quick lunch. He has to get back to court this afternoon.”

“Well maybe you can explain the policy. Every member needs to check in when they arrive. We need to know exactly who is here, when and for how long. Know what I mean? We’re liable for everyone who sets foot in the door.”

Ann Marie twisted her lips in annoyance. Since when had the not-too-long-ago Suzy Homemaker become such a stickler for business rules and etiquette? It was right on Ann Marie’s tongue to say as much, but she’d made a mini-promise to herself not to think so badly of other people. The flipside was Elizabeth was right. The last thing they needed was someone claiming something happened to them on the premises and they weren’t even there.

“I’ll be sure to remind him. He was probably in a hurry.”

Elizabeth huffed. “Thanks. I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes.” She started to walk away.

“Ellie.”

She turned, her usual amicable demeanor back in place.

“Do me a quick favor. Drop in the café and just let Sterling know that I’m tied up for a few minutes.”

“Sure.” She walked toward the café while Ann Marie took her spot behind the desk.

Folks sure were changing, Ann Marie thought as she sat down. There was a time when Elizabeth
would have put her own needs aside and let Ann Marie go to Sterling, nor would she have had the backbone to give her a lecture on business. Go figure. Maybe her impending divorce from Matt was finally putting some starch in her spine.

She stuck her purse in the desk drawer just as Sterling walked up.

“Hey,” he said.

She smiled. “Hey yourself. Sorry about the delay. First it was parking, now it’s staffing.”

“Not a problem. I totally understand.” He checked his watch. “Unfortunately, I don’t have as much time as I thought I would. Traffic was brutal getting here from downtown. I don’t want to get stuck going back and be late for court.”

“Sure.” She looked around quickly. “We can talk here.”

He leaned against the counter. “I’ll get right to the point. According to everything I’ve found out, you are still very much married to Terrance Bishop. It doesn’t matter that it’s been so many years since you two have lived together or even communicated. I was hoping to find some kind of loophole but there aren’t any.”

Her spirits sank.

“Cheer up,” he said, reading the look in her eyes. “Maybe that’s why he wants to see you, to
finally put an end to it all. Maybe he wants to get married again.”

Something sharp stuck her in the center of her chest. An image of her wedding day on the balmy island of Jamaica leaped into her mind. They’d gotten married on the beach with the midnight blue sky and the stars as their canopy. Coconut and palm trees danced with the ocean breeze. She was young, in love and walking down an aisle made of tropical flowers toward the man that was to be her husband and father of her child. She thought it would be forever, that her love would tame his wild ways.

Terrance married again—to someone else?
The idea had never occurred to her. As much as she’d distanced herself from her husband and her marriage, she’d never envisioned Terrance with someone else—at least not a wife.

“Are you okay?”

She blinked then focused on Sterling. She flashed a half-hearted smile. “Fine. Taking it in I guess.” She drew in a breath. “Nothing in this life is easy.”

Sterling chuckled. “That’s an understatement.” He waited a beat. “Listen I have to run. Sorry I couldn’t have been a bearer of better news. But as a consolation, I’d love to take you out tonight.”

Her expression brightened. “I’d really like that.”

“What time do you get off?”

“We close at nine. Is that too late?”

“We’ll both be good and starved by then. I have an idea—if you’re willing to take chances.”

She frowned. “What kind of chances?”

“I should be finished in court by five. I’ll dart to the market, fix dinner and then pick you up. We can eat at my place, relax, talk and unwind. How’s that sound?”

Her features creased. “Can you cook?”

Sterling laughed from deep in his stomach. “I haven’t killed anyone yet.”

“That’s not very comforting.” She eyed him for a moment. “On one condition.”

“What’s that?”

She wagged her finger at him. “Don’t be late.”

He grinned. “Nine on the dot.” He took her finger, leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips, taking her by complete surprise. He paused inches away from her mouth. “Hope that’s not against the rules,” he whispered.

If it was she didn’t care. “I’ll have to look that up in the employee handbook,” she said.

He grinned. “See you at nine.”

“Oh, wait. Why don’t I just come directly to your place? I want to go home and change first. Is that okay?”

“Sure.” He gave her the address. “So then I’ll see you around ten. Is an hour enough time?”

“Sure.” She smiled.

“Great. See you later.”

She watched him leave and began counting the hours, Terrance all but forgotten.

S
tephanie tried to keep her attention focused on the client who was asking about lifetime membership. She rattled off something that sounded relatively intelligent but her mind was on her own dilemma—getting enough money to facilitate the additional care her sister would need. Her visit to the facility earlier had left her more shaken than she’d let on.

She smiled her best PR smile as the client left, hopefully satisfied with whatever it was she’d told him.

With a few moments of downtime she returned
to the office. They’d sent out information on the positions available and she wanted to check her e-mail and phone messages for any responses.

She opened the e-mail file on the computer and was very pleased with what she saw. Just a quick glance showed that there were more than twenty responses from
Craig’s List
as well as the Swedish Institute that trained massage therapists. They’d used two of the students on opening night. They’d done an excellent job. Stephanie tucked their information in a folder.

She opened each e-mail and noted the qualifications, printing out those that met the requirements. By the time she was done, she had a solid fifteen candidates to choose from. She stuck the resumes in the folder and marked it Applicants. When Pause closed for the night, she and the girls would have to go over them and start setting up interviews as soon as possible.

With that task aside she was forced to revisit her circumstances. Although Dr. Nelson didn’t say how much more it would cost, she had a feeling it would be substantial.

A giddy feeling bubbled around in her stomach. Samantha talking again. She slowly shook her head. The doctors over the years had given her no hope that it was possible. She’d eventually re
signed herself to the idea that Samantha would never come back to her.

She sighed and leaned back in the chair. They’d had such a short time together and it was all her fault. If she hadn’t insisted that Samantha accompany her to that party…She let the thought end there. She’d whipped herself with the lash of guilt for years, it colored everything that she did right up to getting involved with Conrad—her ex, very married boss. That was still an unresolved issue. Yeah, she’d quit, leaving him and the company high and dry, but it hadn’t stopped his wife from contacting her.

She was still getting anonymous calls to her home, hang ups in the middle of the night. She knew it was that crazy woman—even though her caller ID always read Unknown Caller. Other than being an obnoxious irritant, Stephanie wasn’t sure what the missus hoped to gain besides depriving her of a decent night’s sleep.

It was beginning to affect her relationship with Tony to a point where she didn’t want to risk him spending the night at her house, or any long period of time for that matter. He wanted to know why and she didn’t want to tell him, so she came up with various excuses: the apartment is being painted, fumigated, no food in the fridge, noisy neighbors, air conditioning not working, she
hadn’t cleaned. At some point he was going to think she had someone living with her. When she went by his place, she’d stayed over a couple of times and although they hadn’t slept together, it was definitely heading in that direction.

The phone rang, jarring her from her troubling thoughts.

“Good afternoon, Pause for Men, Stephanie speaking.”

“Hey sweetie, glad I got you.”

His spidey sense must really be working, Stephanie thought mildly amused. “How are you?”

“Busy day. I’ve been running all over town tying up some loose ends with two new clients.”

“Two! Wow. That’s great.”

“Yeah, one wants me to design a corporate website and the other needs a complete promotional package.”

“Congratulations. That’s great news.”

“That’s what I thought. I wanted to celebrate.”

“Sounds great. What did you have in mind?”

“Well, I have tickets to see
The Color Purple,
for tomorrow night. Can you get off by six?”

“I’m sure I can work it out.” She’d have to come up with some story to tell the girls. The fact that she was going out on a date when they were so shorthanded would not sit well.

“Great. Then I figured we’d have dinner and then I’d come over to your place since I have an early appointment the following day in your area.”

She gulped.
Her place
. “Oh—”

“And I don’t care about paint, things that go bump in the night, rap music or an echo in your fridge.”

She almost laughed but it wasn’t funny. How was she going to get around it this time?

“So…how ‘bout it? I can do the couch thing if that’s what you’re worried about. Like I told you, I care about you and I’m a patient man. You don’t have to worry about me slipping between your sheets unless you invite me.”

Damn, who could say no to all that? She’d just disconnect the phone and hope that no emergency arose during the night.

“I think it’s a great idea.”

“Perfect. So should I pick you up at the job?”

Ouch, the other dilemma. “Hmm, I think I’ll dart home to change. You can pick me up there by six.”

“Works for me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“Bye, babe, I’ll call you tonight.” He hung up.

Stephanie held the phone in her hand until the dial tone hummed in her ear. What would life be without one obstacle after another, she thought.
Easy, that’s what
.

Resigned to her present situation, she signed off from the e-mail, pushed away from the desk and headed back out front; praying that the rest of the day would go by without a hitch.

When she came up front she gasped out loud. Standing at the check-in desk chatting it up with Elizabeth was Conrad Hendricks.

Why didn’t New York City have earthquakes, because she sure wished the earth would open and swallow him whole.

Straightening her shoulders and steeling her expression she marched over to the desk.

“I’ll take care of this,” she said to Elizabeth with such an edge to her voice, Elizabeth jerked back.

Stephanie flashed on Conrad. “We’re at capacity in terms of membership,” she said. She folded her arms.

Conrad put on the charm. His light gray eyes darkened as he took her in.

“It’s been awhile,” he said softly.

Stephanie lifted her chin and began moving away from the desk out of Elizabeth’s range of hearing, forcing Conrad to move with her.

“What do you want?” she said from between clenched teeth.

He looked around, a smile as big as Madison
Square Garden on his face. “The place has been all over the news and in the Style section of the papers.” He focused those gray clouds on her. “I saw your signature style all over the news blitz.” He stepped closer. She stepped back. “So I thought I’d come over and see for myself.”

“You’ve seen, now you can leave.”

“But I’ve only just arrived. I’d really like it if you showed me around.” He took her arm.

She stole a look around her, dragged in a breath. “Take your hand off of me,” she hissed.

“Still feisty. But that’s what I always loved about you.”

Her head began to pound.

“I want to see you, Stephanie. I miss you.”

“You have a wife who seems to enjoy calling my home at all hours of the night. Go home.”

“Marilyn’s been calling you?”

He actually looked surprised, which caught her off guard.

“Don’t act like you don’t know,” she said, without much force.

“I didn’t know.”

“According to your wife she got the number from you and you told her I’d practically been stalking you and wouldn’t let you end the relationship.”

He shook his head sharply. “I haven’t said
anything to her.” He frowned, his gaze drifted away for a moment then settled back on her.

“You really don’t know do you?”

“That’s what I’m telling you. Whatever Marilyn did she did on her own.”

“Then you really do need to go home and talk to your wife. For all you know she could be having you followed and I damn sure don’t want her showing up here.”

His jaw flexed. “I’ll take care of Marilyn.”

“Good.” She started to move away.

“Stephanie.”

“What is it?” she asked as she turned back toward him.

“I meant what I said. I want to see you. I miss you.”

“Forget it Conrad. It’s over. There’s nothing left to talk about.”

“Even if I told you I was leaving Marilyn.”

She flinched. Words she never thought she’d hear him say. The mistress never gets the husband. Statistics were against her.

She lifted her chin. “Good. I hope you made the right decision. I have to get back to work.” She walked away and kept going right past the check-in desk and Elizabeth, who was trying to get her attention and talk on the phone at the same time.

Stephanie went back to the office and quickly shut the door behind her.

Conrad showing up here! What next? She paced back and forth in front of the square metal desk, chewing on her recently manicured thumbnail. Leaving his wife? How did she feel about that? Did it even matter?

The office door opened and Elizabeth came in. “Who was that? Are you all right?” She came in and closed the door.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Really.” She glanced away then sat down on the edge of the desk.

“So…who was that?”

“Conrad.”

She frowned for a moment in thought. Then her eyes widened in realization. “
The
Conrad?”

“One and the same.”

“What did he want?”

She snorted out a laugh. “To tell me he’s leaving his wife.”

Elizabeth sat down. “And?”

“And he wants to see me.”

“You’re not going to do it are you?”

She hadn’t told anyone about what happened that last time with Conrad or how over the months leading toward their burning conclusion how rough and abusive he’d become. That had been her dirty
little secret. The fact that she’d confessed to sleeping with her boss, who was married, was more information than anyone needed. Even the girls. If worst came to worst, she still had her gun. She rubbed her bare arms with her hands, suddenly chilled.

“No. I have no intention of going back down that road again,” she finally said. “Once was one time too many.”

“That’s good to know. Look, I’m really sorry about putting him on you like that. I had no idea.”

Stephanie waved off her apology. “You had no way of knowing. It’s not your fault.”

“I’ll keep my eye out for him should he ever come back.”

Stephanie nodded absently then turned to Elizabeth, worry etched on her face. “What if he does come back? What if he starts trouble? What if any of the clients start trouble? We never even thought about security for the place.”

“You’re absolutely right. We didn’t even discuss it.”

Stephanie sighed. “Now more than ever we should. I’ll look into some security firms first thing in the morning.”

“I can take care of that. I’ll ask Ron. I’m sure he can recommend someone.”

“Good. And the sooner the better.”

“I’m sure Ann Marie and Barbara will agree.”

“We’ll discuss it all at closing. I have some potential job candidates that I want to run past everyone and hopefully we can get the interview process started immediately.”

“Can we hire on the spot?” Elizabeth moaned. She craned her neck and rotated her shoulders.

Stephanie laughed. “If only it were that easy. We definitely want to check and double check references. Can’t have just anyone working here.”

Elizabeth groaned. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Anyway, let me get back up front.” She went for the door. Stephanie was right behind her.

“Can’t say this place doesn’t keep you on your toes,” she said.

Elizabeth chuckled. “So true.”

When they came back to the front of the spa, two new clients were waiting at the check-in desk. Dawne was working on getting them set up and Ann Marie had taken over in the exercise room.

“I’ll go down and check the sauna room,” Stephanie said.

“I’ll go up to the lounge.”

The two separated and went about the business of keeping their newly formed empire running.

Stephanie ran smack into Barbara as she was
exiting the massage room. They both grabbed each other to keep from tumbling backward.

“Wow.”

“Ouch.”

“Sorry,” they said in unison.

“Where are you off to in such a blind hurry?” Barbara asked, tugging on her white smock.

“Huh?”

Barbara peered at Stephanie a little closer. “Are you all right?”

Stephanie finally focused on Barbara. “Yeah, uh, I’m fine.” She shook her head and forced herself to smile. “Just a bunch of stuff on my mind.”

“Anything I can help with?”

Stephanie drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “I wish. I got myself into this mess; I’ll get out of it.”

The two inches between Barbara’s brows drew together in a tight line. “Got yourself into what?”

“I guess you’ll find out soon enough.” She pursed her lips. “Conrad was just here.”

“Say what!”

Stephanie nodded.

“What did he want? I know he ain’t thinking about joining,” she said with a snap of her neck.

“I don’t know what he was thinking about but he was here.”

“Well what did he say? Did he bother you,
threaten you?” She reached out and put a hand on Stephanie’s shoulder.

“No, nothing like that.”

“You’re shaking.” She took Stephanie by the arm and steered her into the empty massage room. She shut the door. “What’s going on girl? You know you can tell me.”

Stephanie lowered herself into the chair, clasped and unclasped her hands until they started to sweat. In a series of fits and starts she told Barbara what happened to her that night in her apartment.

Barbara took it all in without saying a word, hiding her fury beneath a calm mask. How dare that bastard violate her that way and then have the nerve to show his face! Poor Stephanie. No wonder she is always two seconds from exploding.

Stephanie wiped tears away with the back of her hand and sniffed hard. She looked across at Barbara through bleary eyes. “Please don’t say anything.”

“Of course not. But Steph, you can’t let him get away with that. He raped you.”