Tempo (10 page)

“Unbelievable, I was there and we were not hiding out. Tina is the extra appendages popping out of Mr. Scarpetti’s back. I thought the picture was destroyed when the bodyguard grabbed the camera. There must have been more than one photographer there. I am so pissed.”

“Bodyguard? Camera Grabbing? What is going on there Karlie?”

“I guess he doesn’t like his picture taken. I didn’t even know there was a bodyguard until he came out of the shadows. A man like Mr. Scarpetti needs protection I guess.”

“Sounds scary. Why didn’t you call?”

“It was late and it was over. I had lots of work to do and I didn’t want to keep playing it over in my mind.”

“Karlie, next time, call okay?”

“Okay, but right now I have to get going so I can get these fabrics scanned and downloaded to my computer. Take care Anna.”

As soon as I hang up my phone the knocking on the door begins. Thank goodness, my food is here!

I can smell the french fries even before I get to the door; my mouth starts to water and my tummy growls. I swing the door wide open so that the room service waiter can carry in the tray. I follow him to the dining table. He sets everything out perfectly while I sign for my meal. Alone at last I head straight for the fries and put one in my mouth. I pour a mountain of ketchup off to the side for dipping. Oh, I don’t think I’ve had a fry that tasted this good in a long time. Grasping another, I smother it in ketchup and pull it toward my mouth. Missing slightly, the ketchup runs down my chin. I was reaching for a napkin when I heard a knock at the door. Fry in one hand and napkin in the other I manage to open the door. Michael and a tall Hispanic man stand in front of me. I stand there dumbfounded. Reaching towards me Michael takes his long index finger and swipes at my chin. The ketchup I missed is on his finger. He slowly places it in his mouth and sucks, all the while staring directly into my eyes. I can’t move.

“Can I come in?” Knowing I will invite him in, he turns and dismisses the surly looking Hispanic man.

Frowning, I move aside. “Come in.”

“What a face. Are you unhappy to see me?”

“No, I’m starving and I keep getting interrupted. If I don’t eat soon I may gnaw my own hand off.”

Smiling, he guides me to the table.

“Still in your suit I see.”

“I haven’t had the time to change.” Looking down at my near naked body I begin to feel self-conscious. Sitting down, I use the height of the table as a cover. Michael reaches over and takes one of my fries. “Hey, those are mine.”

“Can you share? I’m starving too and you ordered enough food to feed an army.” Giving me a pouty look, I give in and place the food between us.

“What brings you knocking at my door?”

His face turns serious for a minute and then he begins to speak. “First off, I have to apologize.”

Oh no, he is going to say everything that might have happened last night would have been a mistake. He would be right of course
, but in that minute I felt safe and I felt alive.

“I saw from your expression how frightening it was to unexpectedly have a camera thrust in your face. We weren’t prepared and I accept the blame. We let our guard down.”

So he’s not sorry about the little hallway experience or the pool play. My heart skips a happy beat.

“Unfortunately, there was more than one photographer and the shot was sold and distributed. The picture shows both you and I.”

My head snaps over to my open laptop.

“I see you have already seen it.” He says with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

“Yes, my boss informed me, and I looked it up just before my meal arrived.”

Pulling his hand through his hair, I can see that he is deliberating. “Okay, this is how it is. Although we were having a business dinner, the gossip magazines have us as being a hot item. This puts you on the radar. Many people are going to try to find out who you are and what you mean to me. Everyone will be trying to get candid photos of you, which means that what happened last night will be repeated until they get the shot they want or they tire of you.”

My face must have turned the whitest shade of pale, because all of a sudden Michael was on his feet and hovering over me. His strong hands rubbed across my shoulders and down my arms. My body began to shake and I burst into tears. The seat beneath me was gone as Michael picked me up and carried me to my bed. Gently laying me down, he sat beside my prone body and held me until the tears stopped flowing. Whispering in a soft voice he tried to convince me that I was going to be okay.

“I am so sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”  Wiping the tears from my eyes I reach for the tissue on the nightstand. Beating me to them Michael grabs a tissue and blots at my eyes and wipes my runny nose.

“I am so sorry Karlie, it’s because of me that you will be facing this. What frightens you the most?”

“So much of it is unsettling, but mostly the invasion of my privacy and not knowing where someone is hiding to get the shot. They just jump out at you.”

Pulling me to his chest, I hear the frustration echo as he lets out his breath and growls.

“The man who arrived with me today is going to be one of your personal security guards.” Pushing him away I shake my head.

“There is no other choice Karlie. I know how this works.  I have been living it my whole life. Did you try to find information on me when you were being recruited for this job?” Nodding my head in the affirmative he continues to talk. “My guess is that you didn’t find out much about me. That’s because I keep a very low profile and I employ many people to keep photo’s such as that out of people’s hands.” He points to my open computer.

“Why do people hound you so much to get your photo? Why don’t you just give them a good shot and be done with it?”

It doesn’t work that way. If you give them a shot they just want more. As a child, my grandparents had to hire security for me. People wanted to see what the infamous Vincent Scarpetti’s son was up to, what I looked like, my grades in school, who I dated, what I drove, the list is endless. Those were the nice people. The more sinister aspect has always been the families’ of the men that my dad put in prison. He turned against them in order to get his sentence reduced. I can’t tell you how many threats were made against my grandparents and me. It was an awful way to grow up. I know what you may be feeling and I want to make it better. Tony is here to protect you. You will hardly notice he’s around. He will drive you to Tempo on Monday to do your presentation and drive you back. Until then I have to ask you to stay inside.”

“Who is watching Tina?”

“No one, she wasn’t shown in the photograph and nobody would mistake her for my love interest. She is much too old and certainly not my type.”

Chewing on this information, I am both happy and pissed off. Happy that Tina is not his type and pissed off at the fact that I just lost my freedom. Am I his type?

“I am being put at a disadvantage Michael. I have things to do for my presentation on Monday that require I leave the hotel.”

“You can’t, Lloyd tells me the paparazzi are lurking in every corner. You wouldn’t get ten feet out of the door without being mobbed. What do you need done?”

“I need some fabric samples scanned so that I can upload them to my computer.”

“Get them ready.” Opening the door, he looks to the right and starts talking to someone. Stepping back he allows Tony to enter. “Tony, this is Ms. McKenna, Karlie, this is Tony. He will be your shadow until at least Monday and potentially longer depending on the outcome of the presentations. Give Tony the package and he will take care of the errand for you. I will stay with you until he returns.”

My shock has silenced me. I walk the samples over to Tony and watch as he walks them out the door.

“You look chilled Karlie go and change into warmer clothes.”

Great, now he is bossing me around. I pick up my sweatpants and t-shirt from the chair and head to the bathroom. Seeing his reflection in the mirror he is looking at me like a starving man looks at a steak. I rush to the bathroom and slam the door.

“Don’t touch anything. It wouldn’t be fair for you to peek at my stuff before Monday.”

Laughing, I hear him say, “I have already peeked at your stuff Karlie and I like what I see.”

Blushing, I know his comment has nothing to do with design.

“Are you happy now?” completely covered I head to the table to eat my cold burger.

“Why are you so afraid of the camera? I saw it in your face last night and I can feel it today.”

Trying to sound nonchalant I explain, “You know how some people are afraid of clowns, well I have an unnatural fear of cameras.”

I can see in his eyes that he doesn’t quite believe me. I redirect the conversation to something other than me.

“Why were you swimming at my hotel pool?”

“I was swimming at my hotel pool, you just happen to be a guest where I am staying.”

“You’re staying here too? I would have thought that you would have a house nearby.”

“The penthouse at Tempo will be mine when I get it finished. I have to work on getting my guest rooms done before I can worry about my own space.”

So the penthouse is his, how interesting. “Any idea of what you want to do with the space.” I so want to design that space. It could be amazing.

“I have a few ideas that I am tossing around, but I don’t want to talk about them right now.”

“How come it’s always what you want?”

“I’m the boss,
” he says confidently.

Giving him my wickedest grin I ask, “Do you think it’s a wise idea for you to be alone in my bedroom Mr. Scarpetti, seeing as you are the boss?” Grabbing me he tosses me to the bed and reaches for the remote control. He informs me that it’s time to watch TV. Sliding next to me, he covers us both with the duvet and we catch the early evening news. I must have fallen asleep because the last thing I remember was a story about some lottery winner going to jail for not paying his child support. Moving slightly I realize I am pinned between his arm and chest. My head is draped across his upper body. He smells of citrus, fresh air and a hint of chlorine.

“Hey sleepy, are you hungry?”

As I stretch, he releases his grip on me. The absence of his touch creates an emptiness I can’t explain. “Yes
.” My stomach growls in agreement.

“Good because I ordered us dinner.”

“Why are you always ordering for me?”

“I was just trying to be helpful. Does it make you mad? It sounds like you’re mad.” He looks hurt by my reaction.

“The first day that you ordered lunch for me, that made me mad. I think it was because everyone was being so mean to me and I felt like I was losing control. Since then you have proven to be a good judge of food and beverages so I am happy to eat whatever you have ordered. What are we having?”

“Snails and frog legs
,” he says boldly.

“Your joking right?”  I am looking at him with my nose and mouth scrunched up.

“We are having roasted chicken, potatoes and green beans. I have also ordered a bottle of white wine. Will that be acceptable to you?”

“That sounds great, I am going to freshen up before dinner. I need to brush my teeth.”

I can hear him talking to someone at my door. It’s the food. I know this because I can smell it through the door. What is it about food today? Entering my room I follow the aroma to the table where it has been set up with china and wine glasses. If we only had candles it would seem like an actual date. This isn’t a date of course, it’s just a dinner between a client and a designer.

“Tony came back with your package, I had him leave it on your desk. I hope you don’t mind
, but I browsed through your magazines while you were sleeping.”

“No that’s fine, I am glad you helped yourself. Sorry I fell asleep on you.”

Grinning at me he says, “That’s two times in a week, I am starting to get a complex.”

Getting ready to correct him,  I remember the plane ride and decide to keep quiet. He laughs as we dig into our chicken. The skin is crisp
, but the meat is moist and succulent. The potatoes are mashed and the green beans are cooked in butter and garlic. Picking up one green bean at a time I suck the garlicky butter off of each bean before I eat it. “Mmmm these are so good.” Michael has stopped eating and is staring at me. His eyes have darkened with passion.

“I could watch you eat all day.”

“Oh, shut up and eat, have you tried the green beans yet?”

“No, I think I am going to save them all for you.”

Picking up a green bean, I place it in Michael’s mouth. He pulls the green bean into his mouth until he reaches my fingers. Slowly, his tongue circles my fingers. The intimacy of the act almost makes me climax.

“Whew it’s hot in here, mind if I turn up the air conditioning?”

“It’s not hot in here Karlie.”

“Maybe it’s the wine.”

“It’s not the wine either.”

Michael stands and walks slowly to me. His hands move through my hair. He caresses my face. Surely he’s going to kiss me. Leaning towards me, he lightly brushes his lips against mine. He steps back and looks longingly into my eyes. I can see the hunger there. It matches my own. He grabs my hand and begins to walk me toward the bed. Oh my God this is going to happen. As we approach the bed he turns right and walks me to my door. Standing there he leans into me and brushes my lips again with his tender kiss. His mouth moves to my ear where I hear him whisper, “Close and lock the doo
r Karlie, I will see you Monday,” and then he was gone.
Don’t let him go!
As the door closes I let out a scream of frustration and in return I hear him laugh his wonderful sexy laugh.