Determined: To Love: (Part 2 of the Determined Trilogy) (9 page)

The front door jingled. I closed the browser window and got up.

“Hey Sammie!” It was Curtis. “I’ve got scones!” Curtis beamed as he placed a box on the counter.

“Scones, eh?” I teased him, wondering what happened to the diet.

“Vegan scones, thank you very much,” he explained, as if that meant they were calorie-free.

I decided to save him a lecture about carbohydrates, and popped open the box, helping myself to a hunk of sweetness dotted with currants.

“Thanks Curtis. These look awesome.”

“So, what’s new Sammie? I noticed you sold the piece that was on the back wall the other day.” He leaned against the counter and threw a piece of scone into his mouth. I sat down at my desk.

“Mmm. Yeah. I did,” I said between bites. “It was to a woman named Gina. It was for her friend’s birthday.” I swallowed. It was now or never. I had an easy in that might not come again. I started in gently. “Actually, she contacted me afterward about a job.” I looked over at Curtis. He raised his eyebrows slightly but didn’t move the rest of his face. His mouth stayed pursed as he chewed gently. I continued. “She is looking for someone to help her buy art for her house.”

Curtis visibly relaxed. “Oh, that’s nice. That could be fun for you.”

“It’s a full-time job.”

He swallowed. “I see. Are you thinking about taking it?”

The moment of truth. Even I wasn’t sure of the answer. So I was as surprised as he was when I heard myself say, “Yes.”

Curtis moved from the counter and perched on the edge of my desk. “Sammie, I think that may be a good move for you.”

I was shocked. I had expected anger, sadness, bitterness, but not
encouragement
.

“Really?” I said, bewildered.

“Yes, Sam. You’ve been here for, what, six months? Longer, if you count your internship. And you are invaluable. But when I hired you, I knew I wouldn’t be able to hang on to you forever. You have your degree. You graduated at the top of your class. You owe it to yourself to pursue your dreams, whatever they are. Don’t stay here on account of me or some backwards sense of responsibility.”

I was touched beyond words. Curtis and I had a great relationship, but he rarely gave out compliments. My eyes started to mist.

“Oh now, don’t you go doing that. It is too early in the morning to be crying. The customers will think I’m a slave driver.” He handed me a tissue and I pulled myself together.

“Curtis, you are the best.”

“Don’t you forget it.”

“I won’t.”

He walked over to his desk and sat down. “I’m posting your position on Craigslist now. God, I hope we can find an adequate replacement. You’re leaving big shoes to fill, Sam.”

I turned back to my computer and smiled. I was going to miss this place. I opened my email account and typed a response to Gina:

To: Gina Moretti

From: Samantha Sharp

Subject: Re: Compensation Package

Gina,

I just put in my notice. I’m faxing over the signed copy now. I look forward to working with you.

Sam

9

That evening I left the gallery at five and met Elliot in the waiting SUV. I slipped in the rear door, and David was there, waiting for me, along with Thomas in the front passenger seat.

“Well this is a nice surprise,” I said, as he pecked me on my cheek. His eyes were stormy as he scanned the windows. David often had to work later than five, so I knew something was up. “What’s going on? Why the special treat?”

Elliot pulled out into traffic and headed down Telegraph Avenue toward my house, rather than toward the freeway that would take us across the bridge and into San Francisco.

“I don’t want you to be alarmed, Samantha,” he said gently. I immediately sat up and looked at him.

“What? Did someone die?” My mind automatically went to the worst possible scenario.

“No, no, nothing like that.” He shook his head slowly and put my hand in his. “My security team seems to think that the issues with Brian are escalating. I guess they have reason to believe he may be dangerous.”

“Dangerous?”

“His bank records show that he recently purchased a variety of firearms.”

“Guns?”

“Yes. And for your safety, we all think it’s best you come and stay with me for the next week or so, until all this works itself out. You’re associated with me, which could make you a target. If he can’t get at me directly, he might try other means of asserting his convictions.”

I eyed him carefully for a minute. I mean, I understood, my studio was basically a shack in the woods compared to his high-tech tower in the sky. I had a lock on my door, and he had a twenty-four hour security team. If this guy was really looney-tunes, then I was all for staying with David. I practically lived there, anyway.

“Ok, sure. I understand.”

David looked relieved. I think he had planned on a harder fight. “Great. We will swing by your place and grab your things, and then head back to the city. I’ve recoded your key card for around the clock access,” he said, his body finally relaxing.

~

After exiting the car, David and Thomas accompanied me back to my studio. I glanced over at the glowing windows of the main house and hoped Clark and Leslie weren’t watching. I went to put my key in the door, only to find it already open.

I motioned to Thomas, who moved me out of the way before drawing a gun from inside his jacket. He slowly pushed the door open and slipped inside the dark studio, leaving David and I in the shadows of the backyard garden. There was no sound, and I stood there, my eyes peeled on my dark front window, not breathing. I squeezed David’s hand. We waited for what seemed like an eternity, and then suddenly the lights flicked on.

“All clear,” Thomas said, coming back out the front door.

“Everything okay?” David asked.

“No sign of anyone, except for the doorjamb,” he said, indicating a part of the doorframe that looked like it had been hit; the white paint flaked away with some of the wood. Someone
had
been there. Someone had been in my studio. I got chills all over.

“I suggest gathering all your valuables, Miss Sharp,” Thomas said gently. “I am going to go alert your landlords to the situation. Please do not leave the studio until I am back. That goes for you too, Mr. Keith.”

“Understood,” David said gently. He didn’t usually take well-being told what to do, but I suppose these were extenuating circumstances. He turned to me as Thomas set off for the main house. “Okay, let’s do this.”

We went inside, and I looked around. Everything was how I had left it, dirty dishes and all. But I didn’t have time to worry about those. I wanted to get out of there and get back to the security of David’s place. I felt completely violated knowing someone had been in there. I pulled a duffle bag and a suitcase out from under my bed and started to stuff them with items from my closet. David unplugged my computer and brought it over. I glanced at it and then up at him, our eyes understanding the meaning. Any petty thief would have taken the laptop. The person who broke into my studio wanted something else, something that you couldn’t pawn on the black market. We didn’t say anything, and instead, continued to pack in silence.

I was sliding my toothbrush and my toiletry bag into my duffle when Thomas reappeared.

“Okay, I’ve talked with Clark and Leslie. They didn’t see anyone, but I have let them know that you’ll be coming to stay with us for a while, Miss Sharp. They asked we keep in touch with updates, so I will handle that.” He surveyed the room, “Are you ready to go, Miss Sharp?”

I took a deep breath and spun my head around one last time. “Yep. I think that’s it. We can go.”

I paused outside the studio to lock up, painfully aware of the lack of protection my key was really providing. I looked around at the moonlit garden as we passed through on the way to the street. I didn’t know for sure at the time, but I felt like it would be a while until I was able to come back.

10

I woke up late the next morning, exhausted from the events of the night before. I hadn’t slept well. David had been up late in a meeting with his security team, presumably discussing the details involving Brian’s transgressions and the incident at my studio. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if he had come to bed at all. I had awakened before dawn when he came to kiss me goodbye and then promptly fell back asleep.

I pulled on a white robe and wandered through the apartment. It was a big space for a single man. I wondered if he had been happy here before we met. I knew I had had moments of loneliness in my studio, and that was a million times smaller than his palatial home.

I made my way to the kitchen where Hilde was washing dishes. She looked up as I entered.

“Ah, good morning Ms. Sharp,”

“Good morning, Hilde.” I pulled myself up onto a stool at the breakfast bar. “Whatcha up to?”

“Just cleaning some pans, Miss. May I fix you some breakfast?”

My stomach growled. I hadn’t been able to eat much the night before, my nerves getting the best of me. “That would be awesome.”

“What would you like, my dear?”

“Hmm.” I thought for a moment. “Maybe some scrambled eggs and bacon?”

She grinned at the word bacon. “Coming right up, dearie.” She pulled out two skillets and set them to warm on the stove. “David tells me that you will be staying with us for a while, Miss Sharp.”

“I guess I am.” I smiled at her as she pulled some eggs, bacon, and butter out of the refrigerator.

“I hope it’s not out of line to say so, but I’m so pleased about that, Miss. Mr. Keith seems so much happier with you around.” She threw some butter into one of the hot pans and laid a few strips of bacon in the other.

“What do you mean, Hilde?”

“Don’t misunderstand me, Miss. Mr. Keith is a very generous employer, and I love working for him. But before you, it was all structure and procedure. He didn’t seem to experience much of any.” She rubbed her fingers together, searching for the word “…joie de vivre, if you know what I mean.”

I looked at her and smiled, encouraging her with my eyes. She cracked two eggs into the sizzling pan, whisking them as she continued.

“Whatever you are doing Miss Sharp, keep it up.” She winked at me, and I blushed.

~

After breakfast, I meandered back to the bedroom and contemplated my day. Switching over to full-time work would be a change, no doubt. I decided to make the most of one of my remaining days off, and grabbed my phone to text David.

Free for lunch?

I only had to wait a moment until he responded.

Always for you, baby.

Great. I will swing by at noon. See you then.

I took my time getting ready. After a lengthy shower, I shaved my legs and applied a rich body oil that gave them a nice sheen. Using the high-tech blow dryer from under the sink, I dried my hair and pinned it up into a messy bun. Then I wandered back through the bedroom and into the walk-in closet.

Opening one of the drawers in the center island, I picked out a black lace bra and panty set. Slipping the lingerie on, I felt instantly sexy, and my thoughts turned to David. I was so lucky. Not because he was rich beyond words, but because he and I had found each other. From the first moment I saw him, we had been caught in each other, captured by each other’s gaze. I felt electricity with him that I had never felt with anyone before. I thought I had been in love before, once, but this did not compare. That was kids’ stuff. With David I felt so secure and cared for in such an intense and powerful way. I also felt more coveted and desired than I ever had before. Our need for each other was more primitive than rational. And I liked that.

I pulled on a black sweater dress. I had also worn a black sweater dress the second night we met, and the first night we had sex, when we did it urgently, compulsively in the pantry during a party at Curtis’s house. It was completely unlike me to allow myself to behave in such an impulsive and cavalier way. I was someone who had strategized my first kiss with charts and a written list of pros and cons. To have me break that cycle, it took something deep and unlike anything I had ever faced. It took David.

~

I crossed the massive lobby of David’s building, and the security officer badged me in to the elevator, which whisked me up toward the sky. As the doors opened, I found myself in the lobby of Keith Ventures. KV occupied the top floor of the skyscraper, and thus had double height ceilings. I always enjoyed visiting David at work. The space was an extension of him, an exercise in masculine restraint. It was a little intoxicating to imagine him here, the head of an empire with offices in three countries. The business and tech worlds bowing at his feet. My David, a global force. It was irrefutably sexy.

I nodded and smiled at Christine, the petite African American woman at the reception desk, as I headed down the hall toward David’s office. Dana, David’s personal assistant, was deep in conversation with a striking blonde, so I waved hello and motioned to the shopping bag in my hand. I had a stopped at a deli downstairs before coming up and brought some salads, chips, and iced tea. She motioned for me to go in.

I pushed on the thick, heavy door and slipped inside. David was standing silently on the other side of the room, Bluetooth in his ear with his arms crossed, looking out a full-length window. All of a sudden his voice boomed.

“So tell him that’s what I’m fucking paying him for, Charlie.” David yanked off his earpiece and threw it down on the conference table next to him. I froze. I had never heard him speak, or rather, yell, like that before. It was different than his normal calm confidence. He was angry, that much was obvious. It was… frightening. I stood there, immobilized, for another moment as he looked out the windows. I wondered what he was thinking about as he looked down over the city.

Finally, I shifted in place, my paper bag of goodies rustling. He turned his head at the sound. His scowl immediately softened upon seeing me.

“Hey,” I smiled, trying to mask the fact that he had totally just knocked me off my rocker.

“Samantha,” He shoved one of his hands in his pocket and used the other to scratch the back of his neck, “how much of that did you hear?”