Tempo (17 page)

“Good morning love. Long time no see.”

Trying to breathe, I manage to eek out a few words. “What are you doing here? You need to leave.”

“Now is that any way to treat an old friend?” His look is malicious in nature and it scares me.

“I have nothing to say to you. You have no place in my life.”

“You and I are going to get reacquainted Karlie.”

“You and I have nothing to say to one another. Leave me alone,” I demand.

“I have plenty to say to you. You have something I need Karlie. The freelance thing has been a little slow for me lately. I could use a friend right now. I understand that you have a special relationship with a very wealthy entrepreneur. Someone who is in a position to help out one of your good friends.”

Shaking with fear and anger, I can’t help but raise my voice. “We are not friends Evan, you stay away from me and you stay away from Michael.” A rush of adrenaline gives me the strength to stand up. As I turn to leave, Evan grabs me roughly by the arm. Out of nowhere Tony is there and in seconds Evan is on the floor. Tony’s hands are pushing him against the polished marble floor. Struggling to free himself, he looks toward me and says. “Great to see you again Karlie, I’ll see you soon.”

His statement is a promise. He is threatening me. Hotel security has already arrived and Evan is promptly escorted from the building. His smile is filled with malice.

“Ms. McKenna, do you know that man?” Tony asks, looking at me with concern in his eyes.

“No, I don’t think so.” I don’t know why I lied to Tony, he deserves better than that. I just don’t want to have to explain my past relationship with Evan. If anyone found out what had happened, it could be over for me.
Don’t let him steal your life again Karlie. You need to stand up and fight.
The smart girl is right. I am not going to allow that man to steal another thing from me.

“Thanks Tony, he must have been after information about Michael and me. I can’t imagine what he wanted or how he knew my name.”  Tony looks at me and I can’t determine whether I see belief or skepticism in his eyes.

Turning around I see that the team has arrived and unfortunately has witnessed the latter part of the exchange. Their shocked faces send me into action.

“There is nothing else to see here, we have lots of work to do, so let
’s get moving. Tony can you escort us to Tempo?” My voice sounds strong and in charge, which is exactly, the opposite of what I feel inside.

“Certainly Ms. McKenna, I will meet you and your team in the garage in five minutes.”

Gathering my crew, I head down to the garage to where Tony is waiting with a passenger van. Anna gives me a sideways glance; her eyes tell me that we will be talking about the confrontation later. I dip my head in acknowledgment and enter the van.

The day is filled with touring the property and the divvying up of assignments. It takes the entire day to move through all 320 rooms. At five o’clock Tony drives all of us back to the hotel. Exhausted I head to the elevator in hopes of quickly escaping to my room.

“Wait up Karlie.” Turning, I see Anna heading my direction. She has not forgotten this morning and I can’t just ignore her. Although part of me wants to continue to make a bee-line for the elevator, I stop and wait for her to approach.

“What’s up Anna?” I do my best to sound nonchalant, but I know she has questions. Every time I saw her today her face was filled with questions and concern.

“What is going on between you and Michael that puts you in so much danger that you need a bodyguard? Who was that guy in the lobby this morning and what did he want with you? Don’t try to tell me you don’t know him because I am a woman and I can spot recognition when I see it? Your room or mine?” The questions flow out of her mouth like water from a spigot.

“Mine, if that’s okay. I forgot my phone today and I need to check my messages.”

She follows me to my room. I order room service and as we eat, I relive my past. When I finish, her face is white and there are tears in her eyes.

“Why didn’t you ever say anything Karlie?”

“It’s not something you bring up in average conversation. What was I supposed to say, ‘the curtains look great Anna and oh by the way there was a man in my life that stole everything from me.’  I have been trying to forget what he did and move on. It wasn’t until I met Michael that I realized I hadn’t really moved on. I had just been hiding. Michael is helping me move forward, he has broken down the fortress that protects my heart. I feel happiness and joy and I think I could love him Anna. As for Evan, he scares me, but not in the physical sense. He can still expose me in so many ways and that will hurt both Michael and me.  When I first met Michael, he was addressing the designers and he told us that his life could not be contaminated by the slightest bit of controversy or perceived impropriety. This is the kind of stuff he meant when he made that statement.”

“You need to tell him Karlie. If he is a good man, then it won’t matter. You are a victim and it would appear that the crazy ex is coming back for more.” Concern is etched into her face.

“I can’t tell him right now. I really care about him and I don’t want to be dishonest with him, but this is probably not a long-term thing. He made that fairly clear from the start. I don’t want what happened in my past to mar the time we have left together. I will stay vigilant from here on out so that I stay out of Evan’s way. After his take down from Tony, I am pretty sure he will just leave.” I say this for her benefit only. The one thing I know for certain is that Evan will always get what he is after.

Alone at last, I check my phone and see that I have missed five calls from Michael. The first four calls he leaves a curt message asking me to call him right away. During the fifth call, he sounds livid, “Where are you Karlie and why aren’t you answering your phone? Tony reported a problem at the hotel and I want to make sure that you’re okay. Call me damn it!” He needs to calm down. I told him already that I never answer my phone during the workday. I’ve got it under control. I will deal with this issue myself.

Pressing his number, I wait for the ringing to start. I don’t think it even rang once before Michael picked up the phone. “Karlie are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I say with a giggle in my voice, why are you so worried? We knew this was a possibility as soon as the first pictures were printed. He was just someone who wanted a paycheck and I didn’t offer him anything to sell.” In all honesty, this wasn’t far from the truth.

“He put his hands on you!” His voice is thunderous and angry.

“He barely touched me, Tony was as quick as a bullet and had him on the ground in seconds flat. I promise you, I’m okay. Why so much concern?”

“I don’t like people touching things that belong to me. You belong to me!”

I can’t hear anything
because of the blood that is rushing to my head. He is staking claim to me. I feel excited that he wants to claim me and annoyed at the fact that he thinks he can.

“Since when did I become your possession?”  I ask. There is silence on the other side of the phone. Maybe he is wishing he could take back his statement.

“That came out wrong Karlie, I meant to say that you belong with me. I won’t share you with anyone else and I won’t allow another man to touch you.”

I belong with him? The thought thrills me.

“This is unfamiliar ground for me baby. I sat there staring at you this morning wondering what it is that you do to me. It’s more than a physical attraction and I haven’t come to terms with it yet.”

His confession takes me off guard. “That might be the nicest thing I have heard all day. I care about you too Michael.”

I could have easily blurted out that I was falling in love with him, but I didn’t want to send him running for the hills. Michael doesn’t come across as a man who shares his feelings easily and the fact that he shared them with me means so much. The lack of commitment from his family must make it hard for him to allow himself to be vulnerable. What a couple we would make, my fear of abandonment and his fear of commitment are not a good mix.
One day at a time,
the smart girl whispers.

“I will be back Friday in time for our date. Where would you like to go to dinner?”

“Anywhere is good. I am happy as long as I am with you,” I reply.

“How about I surprise you? Let’s make a whole night of it.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

We talk on the phone for another hour. Michael is staying at his home in Calistoga.
He takes me on a verbal tour of the three-bedroom cabin. He tells me of his childhood days. He describes his collection of obsidian arrowheads that he found on the mountain while hiking with his grandfather. He reminisces about how his grandfather would take him to pan for diamonds in the creeks, hence the name Diamond Mountain. The clear pebbles are actual diamonds, but carry no real value due to their size and clarity. The real value of those excursions came from the time spent with his grandfather.

We talked about my parents and how our family spent an incredible amount of time together. Hiking and fishing filled our summers and winter weekends were spent skiing. My mom was a kindergarten teacher, giving her lots of time throughout the year to be home with me. Sure, her evenings were spent grading papers and lesson planning
, but I was always her priority. She loved children and she loved teaching. She would have had several children of her own, but complications during my birth made that impossible. As an only child I had my parents undivided love and affection.

Sitting on my bed, I feel like a teenage girl. When it came time to hang up neither of us wanted to go first. We volley back and forth and eventually decide to hang up together. Leaning against the headboard I feel absolutely joyful. He likes me and he feels protective of me. What else could a girl want?
Love!

The next two days pass in a blur. There has been no more contact from Evan and for that I am grateful. Anna and the team left early this morning. They will monitor their parts of the project from Denver making sure everything stays on track. I will remain in Las Vegas making sure that everything goes smoothly and that any unforeseen challenges get resolved immediately. Saying goodbye to Anna was bittersweet. Having her around this week was like having a piece of my mother back. Sharing my secret with her was difficult, but I feel better having been able to share my burden with someone. The fact that she didn’t pass judgment means so much to me. I am still reminded of her advice to tell Michael everything. I know she is right, but I’m afraid to ruin what we have. Thinking of Michael, I text him to ask a question.

Michael,

What kind of clothes should I wear for our “Date” tonight? 

Karlie

Immediately I receive his reply.

Karlie, I would prefer that you wear nothing
, but like I said before I don’t want anyone else touching you. I fear your naked body would incite a riot. Wear something sexy for me! Looking forward to our “Date” I miss you! M

Peeking my head out my door I summon Tony.

“Good morning Tony, I hope you had a nice evening. You are here all of the time, don’t you ever leave?”

“I split the shifts with two other men. Chris and Alan would normally cover sixteen hours
, but Chris has had a family matter to take care. Lloyd and I have been picking up the extra shifts. Alan is still covering the night shifts. Is there anything you need Ms. McKenna?”

“Yes, I need to go to Tempo this morning to check on the tile installation. I will be there for several hours and then I plan to go to the Forum Shops to make a purchase. You won’t need to accompany me to the mall. There will be so many people around that I can’t imagine anyone trying anything.”

“I will escort you to both places Ms. McKenna, it is what I am hired to do.”

Okay, so I am not going to lose the guard anytime soon. I hope Tony likes to shop. I plan to hunt down the perfect dress even if it takes me all day. My date with Michael is at six and I want to look perfect.

The tile installers are busy and the selections are perfect. After the tile work is completed, the carpet specialists can begin. Once the flooring is complete, everything else will come together quickly. I head to the twentieth floor to check on the plumbing progress. Happy with how far things have come, I am convinced that the tile installers will be able to start tomorrow in the suites. The new tubs are scheduled to arrive on Monday and it would be nice to have them fully fitted by the end of next week. Feeling like everything is on track I head downstairs to find Tony.

Tony keeps his distance while I visit nearly every shop. Tonight is a special night. I have missed Michael more that I thought possible. He said to wear something sexy for him. I want to find the perfect dress, one that says I was thinking only of him when I chose it.

I am looking for the perfect color, a certain shade of turquoise. It’s his favorite and I am hoping that seeing me in it will make me his favorite as well. I am nearly ready to give up as I walk into H & M. It’s a far cry from Versace, but on the back wall is the perfect Aqua colored dress. It has a low-cut V-neck front. Criss-crossed strips of strategically placed fabric create the back of the dress. This dress isn’t subtle. It says, “I want you.”  Heading to the shoe department, I locate the perfect strappy silver heels. Walking out with my clothes and a receipt for $122.63, I feel just as nervous and as excited as the last time I dressed for him. Only this time I spent $4000.00 dollars less. Four hours from now I will be back in Michaels arms. Picking up the phone I call Eve to help me with my final preparations.