Chapter 8

“Steven wake up!” The sound of Ana’s voice and her hand pounding on the bedroom door penetrated the wall and Steve’s head…but it was too early. He didn’t want to deal with whatever it was she was so urgently trying to wake him up for. He rolled over and snuggled back down in the covers. He’d been having the best dream about Angela… “Steven McAllister!” she was using her palm to bang before. That one sounded like a fist. Shit! He rolled over to face the door and said,

“What Ana? It’s seven a.m. on a Saturday. Why are you bothering me?”

“I need to talk to you. Unlock the door.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Jesus! You’re such a child. I’ll just go find Rogelio and get him to use his key.” Rogelio was their house manager. He took care of everything where the staff was concerned. He also had keys to all of the rooms. With a growl he pulled himself up, threw on a robe and padded over to the door. When he pulled it open his sister gave him a disapproving look and marched in. “I need you to take my meeting with Kim today.”

“What? Why? No way!”

“Oh don’t be such a baby. I can’t stand her either but we still have to do business with her. She has some new idea that she claims is brilliant. I’m supposed to meet her at the bar at the Omni at lunch time…”

“No way am I meeting her in a bar. I just got her to stop calling and texting me. This is going to send mixed signals all over the place.”

“I will tell her I’m sending you. I’ll make sure she knows you protested and I’ll warn her to behave, okay? It’s not a date. She’s bringing someone with her, some guy that specializes in social media marketing. He’s staying at the Omni and he’s only here for the weekend. That’s why she needed to meet us today. That’s good, right? You won’t have to be alone with her. Please Steven, I need you to go.”

“Why can’t you go?”

“I just can’t. I have some personal business that I have to deal with.”

He folded his arms and sat down on the bed. “If you don’t tell me why you can’t go, I’m not going.”

“My God, you’re like a twelve year old sometimes. I don’t know how that sweet girl Angela stands you.”

He grinned. “Spill it or I’m not going.”

She sat down next to him on the bed and with a sigh she said, “Do you remember Carlo?”

He rolled his eyes. “Of course, he’s all you ever talked about all through college, why?”

“He wants me to meet him in Santa Barbara. He has a house there and he says…” she blushed. His sister never blushed. She was always so self-assured. “Anyways, please do this for me, Steve. I never ask you for anything.” He was afraid she’d use that. It was true, she never did. She always did everything for herself, even when he wanted to help.

“Okay, fine.” She threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

“Thank you, brother of mine. You’ll be handsomely rewarded.” She stood up and he said,

“What’s my reward?”

“The way you’ll feel about yourself,” she told him with a wink. He was afraid of that too. He threw himself back on the bed and put the pillow over his face. Of all the ways he thought about spending his Saturday, with Kim was not even close to being one of them.

He lay there for a long time trying to go back to sleep, but it didn’t work. At last he pulled himself up and got in the shower. He knew he had to call Angela before he went but since she’d been having trouble sleeping, he didn’t want to do it too early. After his shower he had breakfast and finally around nine, he called her. He was greeted by a groggy,

“Hello?”

“Hi baby, did I wake you?”

“Huh? Steve?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Are you okay?” He was so worried about her. She seemed to be getting worse. He was so glad she had an appointment with a doctor on Monday.

He could hear in her voice that she was more awake when she said, “Um…yeah, yeah, I’m okay. Sorry, I guess I slept in again. What time is it?”

“It’s just after nine.”

“Oh! Did we have plans?”

Pulling his brows together he said, “No baby…not until tonight. I have to tell you something though and I suspect you’re not going to care for it any more than I do.”

“Oh?”

“Ana needs me to take a lunch meeting today…it’s with Kim.”

“Oh,” her voice definitely fell a notch.

“I’m sorry. I tried to refuse but she can’t be there and Kim supposedly has someone she needs us to meet that is only here for the weekend.”

“Oh, okay babe. What time will you be here this evening?”

“Around five,” he told her. “Why don’t you try and get some more sleep.”

“I will. Hey…”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for letting me know…about Kim, and I hope it goes well.”

He smiled. God, he loved this woman. “You’re welcome and please know I’d rather pull my own eyelashes out one by one.”

She giggled, there was his girl. “Don’t do that. I love your eyelashes. I love you.”

“I love you,” he said. “I’ll see you tonight.”

He felt better after talking to her…he always did. But he might just go to the doctor with her on Monday and make sure they do something for her. The poor thing was miserable and it was breaking his heart to see her this way.

He finally left for the meeting, driving slowly and dragging his feet as much as he could. When he got to the Omni Hotel it was ten minutes to twelve. He found Kim waiting for him in the bar…alone.

“Hey!” she said, standing up and smiling brightly like they were old friends. He still didn’t believe she’d sent those pictures to him by mistake and he didn’t like the way she’d been treating Angela lately either. They were not friends.

“Hey, I thought there was supposed to be someone else here.” She tried to kiss his cheek and he pulled back. She looked hurt.

“He’ll be down soon,” she told him. “We’re in a public place; don’t act like you’re afraid I’m going to rape you or something.”

He just gave her a look and sat down. She had a pitcher of mimosas on the table and a full glass. He picked it up and poured himself one. Kim knew he loved mimosas and he was almost willing to turn one down to spite her. But, the way his morning was going, he felt like he needed one. “So,” he said as he took a drink, tell me what this is all about. I can’t stay long.”

“Okay, I started collaborating with an agency out of Houston. The guy who you’re going to meet today is the CEO of that company called Stryker Marketing. His name is Kevin Stryker and he’s brilliant, Steven. He’s the one who brought Roe Oil out of the dust after that big oil spill scandal. They went from nearly bankrupt to turning a billion dollar profit last year.”

“Doing what?” he asked as he finished his small drink and poured himself another. “What’s different about what he proposes to do?”

“I’d really like for him to describe it to you.”

“I’d like that to,” he said, “But I still don’t see him here.”

She looked at her watch, “It’s only five after. Let’s give him a few minutes. How are things going with you?”

He gave her a warning look and said, “This isn’t a social lunch.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, I won’t be nice,” she said. “Speaking of lunch, do you want something?”

“No, I’m not hungry.” He finished another drink. He was hot all of a sudden and his skin felt clammy. “Is it hot in here?”

“I don’t think so,” she said, “But we can walk outside if you like?”

“It’s fine,” he said, waving over the waiter. “Can we get some ice water?”

“Of course sir,” he said. He disappeared and when he was gone Steve told Kim,

“I’m waiting five more minutes. You better call your guy.”

“Wow, okay,” she said, indignant. She took out her phone and pressed in a number. The waiter came by and sat the water pitcher on the table as he heard Kim say, “Hi Kevin, it’s Kim. Oh no! That’s okay. Of course we can do that. No, please don’t apologize, we’ll see you soon.”

She hung up and as Steve poured himself a glass of water he asked, “So what was that about?”

“Apparently, he twisted his ankle last night. The waiter was supposed to tell us and ask that we meet him up in his room. He thought that we were late.”

Steve didn’t feel well all of a sudden. Everything seemed kind of fuzzy…or distant as if he were drunk. He turned around and called the waiter over. “Excuse me,” he said, “Did you have a message for us?”

“No sir…”

“That was me,” the bus boy that had just come out of the back said. “I’m so sorry. I had to take my break right before you got here and I forgot to pass it on to Andre. A Mr. Stryker called and said he’d hurt his foot and would like to have the meeting in his suite.”

Steven poured himself another mimosa, thanked the young waiter and downed it. Then he stood up and looked down at Kim. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

She smiled sweetly and stood up. The waiter brought her the receipt and Steve let her sign for it, then he followed her out through the lobby and into the elevator. Things around him were really beginning to seem hazy now. He suddenly wondered if what’s been wrong with Angela was a virus and perhaps he’d gotten it as well. He felt unsteady on his feet and as they stepped off the elevator, he felt Kim take his arm. He looked down at her and she smiled. He smiled back and he felt his body responding to her. What the hell? This is Kim! He reminded himself. She led him to a door down at the end of the hall. He didn’t realize that she shouldn’t have a key. He was feeling dizzy and tired and by the time they got into the room, the only thing in his line of vision was the big, comfortable looking bed…he made a beeline for it and that was the last thing he remembered.