Tempo (19 page)

That got my attention right away making me sit straight up.

“Baby, I understand if you want to turn and run. I have never been in a relationship because of the potential consequences, but I can’t stay away from you. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you.”

“I don’t know what to say. It’s a lot to take in. It’s none of my business
, but doesn’t it make sense to go see your dad? Wouldn’t you rather see him on your own terms rather than have him show up here on his? I read that he is due to be paroled soon. Don’t let him tarnish what you have built.” I lay my head back down on his chest and hug him close to me.

Laughing Michael says, “I just told you that a man threatened to disfigure your face and all you’re worried about is how I should meet my dad so that he doesn’t sully the reputation of Tempo?”

“Well, if you get the visit over with then maybe he won’t want to disfigure my face.”

We both begin to laugh at the silliness of the conversation. I promise Michael to let Tony do his job. He also makes me promise to keep my phone on me at all times.

“I still love you Michael and I am not running for the door.”

“I have never been so grateful for a woman’s poor decision in all of my life. I am not easy to love
, but I promise I will try to make it worth your effort. You have no idea what your love means to me.”

It all makes sense now; he’s been keeping people at arm
’s length to avoid the hurt that he feels is the inevitable result of being in any type of relationship. My poor man, he must have been so lonely. 

“Your place or mine tonight?” I ask as I put on my shoes.

“Why does there have to be a your place or mine, we stay together every night? Just move in with me. I want you close to me all the time and it would make it easier on Tony, Lloyd, and the rest of the security detail.”

“My first instinct is to say yes, but what if one of us needs our space? There wouldn’t be anywhere to run to for that. Tell you what, I will check to see if the room next to yours is vacant and if it is then I will move in there and we can open the connecting door. Is that a good compromise?”

“I will have to bring you into my next board meeting to serve as my chief negotiator.” Michael’s arms encircle my waist. He picks me up as he twirls me in circles. He seems so happy and carefree.

“Put me down!” I say. “What’s gotten into you, you seem so different?”

“I am happy, I have a beautiful girlfriend and she loves me.”

“Yes, I do, but I have a difficult boss and if I don’t get his bathtubs in by Friday he may fire me.”

“I am sure your difficult boss can be tamed with a few kisses.” Michael pulls me closer and steals a kiss from me.

“I would never kiss another man. My boyfriend has a real problem with other men touching me. So you see, I must be going if for no other reason than to save my job.” Smiling back at him, I run for the door, but he is quicker than me. Turning me around, he places a tender kiss on my lips.

“Lunch on the roof at noon?” I give him a questioning look.

“Yes, but I will only have time for lunch, I have a meeting at one,” he says.

I give him my best pouty look and then I am out the door.

“Hi Tony, I have to run down to the lobby to change my room. I hope to be moving to room 3917 later. Do you want to come with me or wait for me in the car downstairs?”

“I will escort you Ms. McKenna.” I really have to talk to Michael about the Ms. McKenna thing.

Tony walks with me to the lobby where I head straight for Eve.

“Hello Ms. McKenna how can I help you?”

“Hi Eve, I want to move into room 3917, is it available?”

“Let me check for you.” Eve’s fingers move like lighting across the keyboard looking for the vacancy. “Yes it is, I can have your belongings transferred this afternoon if you would like.”

“That would be fabulous.” Eve hands me a new key and I am off and running.

Mission accomplished, Michael will be so happy. Feeling like I need an iced green tea I head for the little café. Looking around, I don’t see Tony anywhere. I wanted to offer him something to drink
, but I have no idea what he would like. I am waiting my turn in line when I feel the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I know something is wrong. Looking around, I see that Evan is sitting in the corner. He gets up slowly and stands behind me as if he is there to buy coffee. He talks right behind my ear so no one but me can hear him.

“Hey Karlie, where’s your bodyguard?”

“Leave me alone Evan.” My voice is unsteady.

“We have some unfinished business my love.”

“I am not your love.” My pitch is getting higher and fuller. I try to lower it so I don’t draw anyone’s attention. I am getting past scared and well into pissed.

“I wonder what lover boy would think if he knew what I have?”

It’s my turn to order and rather than make a scene I order my tea and a black coffee.

“You are the most despicable man I have ever met. You use people without a care for what happens. You’re the worst kind of person.”

My coffee and iced tea are ready. Just before I turn to leave, Evan tells me I have two options. One is to pay him off or the second is to make sure that he is hired as the official photographer for Tempo. I am furious that this man thinks he can blackmail me. Hasn’t he done enough to me? Turning I pour the piping hot coffee down the front of him. It drenched his shirt, his pants and the camera hanging around his neck.

“You fucking bitch, you have no idea what you just did.” He yells as he tries to stop the scalding coffee from burning his skin. I just walk away. Standing in front of the café is Tony.

“I was getting you a cup of coffee, but I seemed to have spilled it,” I say as I walk past him.

“Indeed,
” Tony says.

I know Tony recognizes the man
, but to his credit he doesn’t say anything. I need to clear this whole mess up soon, but Michael and I just got over a big fight and I don’t want to revisit that place anytime in the near future.

“Anything I should know?” Tony asks.

“Yes, but nothing I’m ready to talk about right now. I need to sort a few things out. Can you give me a few days?

“Very well Ms. McKenna. Shall we head for Tempo?”

Once at Tempo, the morning crisis is forgotten. The tile is complete and half of the oval tubs are installed. The carpet has been delivered and the crews will begin installation tomorrow. I am hoping that the hardwood flooring for the suites arrives tomorrow as well. It would be great to have all the flooring completed in the next two weeks. Michael and I will be leaving for Denver in a few days so the more I can get started now the better. Keeping busy, the morning just evaporated. I feel hands around my waist; startled I swing around with my fists at the ready.

“Wow, I better be careful or you’ll take me down with your left hook.”

“You scared me.”

“I’m sorry baby, I came looking for you because you’re late and I don’t want to miss a minute with you.” Looking at my watch I can see that I am indeed ten minutes late.

“How did you find me?” I ask.

Michael rolls his eyes at me.

“Oh yes, the infamous security cameras.” My voice is full of sarcasm.

“Lets eat.”

On the patio, Michael has had a table and two chairs delivered from downstairs. Beautiful Cobb salads are waiting for us. Glasses are filled with club soda and lime.

“When will the furniture for the patio be delivered?”

“I have to check with Anna, but I believe the estimated delivery date is the day we get back from Denver.”

“Speaking of Denver, our travel arrangements are made.”

“Thank you Michael.”

“My pleasure baby.” He smiles at me as if he is in on some inside joke.

“I had my room changed today, so as of tonight we are roommates with a connecting door. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“Karlie, I want you to be where I am?”

Running off to a meeting, Michael ends lunch with a much too short kiss and a promise for more later. 

Running through my checklists I complete my day ahead of schedule. Back at the hotel, I check out my new room. It’s just like my old room only closer to Michael and that makes it so much nicer. The staff has delivered everything as promised. On my desk is an envelope with my name written across the front. I don’t recognize the writing
, but I assume it’s from the front desk. Tearing it open, a card drops to the table. Written across the front is the message:

YOU FUCKING BITCH, YOU OWE ME A CAMERA! GAME ON!

I know exactly who wrote this note and I fear I am out of my element. That talk that I was going to have in a few days is going to have to happen tonight. Oh Michael, I am so sorry. I leave the note on the table and wait for Michael to come home. It’s funny how a rented room can become home. Is it the room that you get used to or the people who fill it? I know in my heart that anywhere Michael is will become home for me. I have already opened my side of the connecting door. I can hear movement next door. I wonder if he will open his side of the connecting door or enter through the hallway. The connecting door opens and my man appears.

“Hey baby, how was the rest of your day?” he asks.

“We need to talk.”

I see his face turn completely white; he looks in shock. I know he is reading something different in my message. “Michael, it’s not what you’re thinking, let me explain. It’s a security issue that I need help with. I need help with a problem and it’s time I tell you a little something of my past. We are going to need the security detail in here.”

“Shit Karlie, my heart was in my throat. I thought that maybe you had changed your mind and you were going to leave me.”

Michael is on his knees in front of me, my hands are in his, and his forehead is resting against my abdomen. “Don’t ever leave me. God knows I have done nothing to deserve you, but I
need you. Please don’t leave me,” he pleads.

I drop down to my knees in front of him. “Michael I am not leaving you. Ever! I am so sorry I scared you.” The tears break free from my eyes. We hold each other until our knees ache.

“Tell me what’s going on baby?”

I walk to the table and grip the note. Slowly I hand it over to Michael. I can see the anger all over his face as he reads the words. The worst part is that he doesn’t know the worst part. Is this from the guy at the restaurant? Lloyd broke his fucking camera not you. Why would he send you this threatening letter?”

“It’s not from the guy at the restaurant. It’s a person from my past. Can Lloyd and Tony come in so I won’t have to repeat myself? Michael walks to the door and asks both men to come in. He walks back to the sofa and offers the men a seat. Pacing back and forth I decide to sit in the center of the men and tell my story. Perched on the coffee table with my knees touching Michaels I begin.

“Six years ago, I moved to Denver and enrolled in college. I was a reserved and shy girl. My parents had recently passed away and I was buried in sorrow. I spent a great deal of time sitting in a campus coffee shop. To make a long story short, the man who wrote this note, picked me because he knew I was vulnerable. He stalked me and put himself in my path for weeks. He gained my trust and pretended to be interested in me just to get close to me. He is a predator.” I stall for a few minutes, not sure how much to tell and not sure how to say what I have to say in a room full of men. Shaking my head, I inhale through my nose, and exhale through my mouth.  “He stole my innocence, he took my virginity and he crushed my soul. The thing about Evan Coughlin is that he has no conscience. When he says game on, it’s not just a threat, it’s a promise. What happened back then has no real relevance to what is happening now except that he is pure evil. That day in the lobby when the man grabbed my arm, well that was him. He was here to tell me he was back and I was going to help him.” Looking around I can see Lloyd mentally taking notes. Tony has a look that says I knew it, and Michael looks like he may kill someone.

“Why didn’t you say something to someone then?” Michael asks.

“I was trying to handle it myself. I was not going to allow Evan to use me in order to get to you. When Tony tackled him I figured he would just disappear
. In fact, he did for a bit, until this morning.”

“What the hell do you mean this morning?” Michael yells.

“I went to the lobby to change rooms and thought that I would grab an iced tea for me and a black coffee for Tony. I knew something was wrong immediately. The fight or flight instinct overwhelmed me, and the hairs stood up on my neck. Before I could react, Evan was behind me in line. To the average person he was just waiting to order a coffee. In reality he was threatening me.” Reaching out I hold Michaels hand for support. He is shaking with rage. “What he wants is for me to get him a job as the photographer for Tempo. He gave me an ultimatum. I can pay him a boatload of money or I can get him an exclusive photography deal. I opted for neither and as I turned with my iced tea and coffee, I dumped the piping hot coffee down his front. I apparently ruined his camera and gave him a good scalding.”