Earthbound Angels Part 1 (2 page)

On Hollianne’s end of this phone call, she glanced inside of her dismally empty refrigerator. As she surveyed the three unappetizing items currently taking roost there, she didn’t even have to think about it before answering in the affirmative.

“Where shall I meet you?” she asked.

“Actually, I'm currently staying at The Moon Bay Hotel. Do you know it?”

“Yes, I know of it.”

“Would you mind meeting me there, then? They have an excellent chef, and we could talk about business over dinner.”

“Sure, that sounds great. What time should I be there?”

“How's seven for you?”

“That works out quite well for me,” Hollianne said as she sadly surveyed her currently blank appointment calendar.

“Wonderful. I look forward to seeing you then.”

After disconnecting the call, Hollianne was filled with many conflicting emotions regarding Mr. Angell and his possible job offer. On one hand, she wasn't sure how she felt about writing the biography of an obviously self-absorbed man. On the other, the money that taking the job would bring couldn't come at a better time. Maybe she could even get an advance on her pay so she'd be able to find a place to live. At any rate, she was definitely going to meet with this man and see what the deal was all about.

Erick stood on the balcony of his penthouse suite at the Moon Bay and stared down at the city, reliving the impression that had come to him the first time he had seen that sight, one which he had never quite overcome; a sense of incomprehension, as though it were a model made by unknown hands for an undisclosed purpose.

Even though it had been many centuries since he had been cast out of Heaven and banished to Earth, he wasn't sure that he would ever become accustomed to interacting with humans.

Oh, who am I kidding? I'm now a human myself,
he thought as he tried to force his gaze away from the admittedly breathtaking scene spread out before him, almost as if it were his kingdom.

The only nice thing God had done when he cast him out of Heaven was to set him up as a very wealthy man who'd never want for anything. War and famine had come and gone, but he had not perished like other humans.

He had survived, had helped humans who had worked for his companies to survive. He was an angel. He had the ability to save humans from themselves, to correct their weaknesses and set them on the right path. If called to do his duty, he was ready to perform it to the best of his ability, stronger than that of any mere human. Like a dark knight he came, his loyalty still to his mission, the calling he considered his redemption.

He had done so, would do so,
every
time.

As if that could protect him from the world's woes.

His lack of empathy for these hapless creatures here no longer seemed to be as complete as when he had first arrived. He had met a few of them that piqued his interest, but as history was his witness, these special humans had perished at the hands of their ruthless, uncomprehending brethren.

So how could they warrant his sympathy? He honestly could not understand them. They were the only self-destructive creations in the universe. They destroyed the best of those who were spawned from their loins and left untouched the most venal and corrupt, even rewarded, promoted and set them up as moral examples. How could the Father look upon these creatures as His children?

That still bothered him. It wasn’t jealousy; he simply could not understand. Erick had always been wary of senselessness – it opposed everything he had seen and understood in his former state of being, where all events had meaning and purpose. He was not someone who could tolerate phenomena that had no meaning or importance.

He tried to find answers. In fact, he had spent many years and travelled thousands of miles in search of a solution to this problem of why humans, who were capable of imagining and striving after the idea of the divine, and could even offer a glimpse of it in their most lofty achievements; refused to follow that vision into their conduct. Human wars and the horrifying atrocities he had witnessed left more than a bitter taste in his mouth. These things led him to wonder whether humans were irredeemable, and not even worth trying to save.

So he hid. It was not that he had given up on the human race - he had no choice about the matter. He simply wanted to be rid of them for a while so that he could cleanse his mind of the horror he had witnessed and regain a sense of who he was.

Unfortunately, his many years of self-imposed isolation where the only human contact he had were his business associates, was wearing a little thin.

He had no friends and had never really cared to make an effort to gain them. These women on Earth were terrible flirts and he found it difficult to go out to nightclubs for that very reason.

He wanted to drink alone and listen to live music. He wondered how beings so depraved could create such beautiful music, each example of which could evoke a whole world of beauty and cause time to stand still. But women wearing grotesque makeup, eye-watering designer perfumes and slutty clothes were constantly trying to get close to him. He wanted no part of them.

So what was it about this one woman that had him so enthralled?

She was quite attractive in an unconventional way; he would admit to that. She was rather short, 5'2" or 5'3", with a small build, but not too thin. Her hair was a lovely natural light blonde that reached the middle of her back, pulled back in a ponytail.

That was all he could tell about her from where he sat across the street in the coffee shop.

Yet it was enough to capture his attention.

He wondered about the reasons for his interest. He had met women more remarkable, more conventionally beautiful than Hollianne. He had mingled and sometimes enjoyed socializing with what was considered the cream of the crop.

But physical beauty could only be that; physical.

Most women attached so much importance to what they presented to the eye, and did not think that what was inside could be interesting too. Such women lost his interest immediately; he could not brush them off soon enough. But there was something else about her, something uncontrollable, uncontained; it was like she had so much potential for rebellion bubbling up on the inside that it could become unrestrainable once it had a chance to break free. Her feelings and thoughts registered on her lovely face like ripples on the surface of a calm lake; they emerged through her actions, in the way her hands moved, even the way she walked and carried herself. He had never seen a woman whose entire body seemed at one with her soul.

He actually smiled when he thought of the way she'd protested when talking with Jackson. She was someone who would not take no for an answer, and had really been giving the poor man hell.

It was a good thing he had sworn Jackson to silence regarding their agreement. He really didn't want Hollianne to direct her irritation toward him, or beg him to give in to something she wanted to happen.

Angel or not, he knew he would have a very hard time refusing her, even as the thought crossed his mind. For some reason, he felt he would enjoy it, too. He remembered the look of sadness on her face as she sat across the road from him.

She looked so alone, even when she was in the middle of all the chaos. He knew it was so because that was what she thought. It was what she believed.

He wanted to protest that no one was truly alone. He was there, with her. He was there, feeling what she was feeling even when he knew nothing about her. He felt a need, a deep-seated need, to indulge her, to let her make demands on him, to make him keep giving way until all his defenses were gone.

How could this human being make him feel this way?

Suddenly, for the first time in years, he was looking forward to having dinner with someone. Actually, not just with
someone,
but with this very unusual woman. Truth be told, his usual practice was to make excuses, pretending that he had some urgent business out of town; the idea of three hours coming up with polite banalities and insincere flattery was a source of horror to him. This time, however, he knew that no pretense would be necessary.

At precisely seven, Hollianne entered The Moon Bay lobby.

She thought that she should have confirmed where they were to meet. It had not occurred to her just how many places to eat there might be in this hotel; so far, she had found two dining rooms and a breakfast room, besides smaller suites on the first and second floors for those who wished a more exclusive and intimate setting.

Just as she was wondering what to do next, her cell phone rang.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Ms. Talbot!” Erick enthusiastically greeted her. “I just realized that we neglected to settle on a place to eat.”

Hollianne laughed.

“Yes. I'm in the lobby now and I just realized that same thing.”

“Great minds think alike. Look, I'm staying in the penthouse suite and I've taken the liberty of ordering room service for us. I thought that it would be easier to talk without lots of interruptions and distractions. Would you be comfortable dining in my suite?”

Hollianne honestly wasn't sure she was comfortable with that at all. She had had enough near disasters in her life to know better than to agree to a date alone with someone. But she really did need the job and her stomach was currently reminding her that she hadn't eaten since last night.

Her stomach growled.

“Sure, Mr. Angell, that sounds fine. I'll be right up,” she said as she forced a smile on her face with an effort that was positively painful, while at the same time she gripped the small container inside her bag with her other hand.

As Hollianne passed the front desk, the concierge beckoned her over. He smiled at her and handed her a keycard.

“You'll need this to open the penthouse floor,” he explained. “We were told to keep an eye out for you.”

“Oh, um, thank you very much.”

He was not afraid that people knew she was coming up. If something should happen…The thought occurred to her that he had paid the concierge to pay no attention. Surely no one would be so…

Ah, so now she was talking to herself.

She attributed her rambling thoughts to a hungry stomach, and she knew she had to hurry. She walked slowly to the elevators and took one that opened empty before her as if it had been arranged.

She noticed the letters
PH
engraved on a little door and beside it, a small slot where she was able to slide her keycard. The door opened and she pushed the button to reach the penthouse. When the elevator stopped, the doors opened instantly onto a foyer. The man standing there waiting to greet her took her breath away.

“Ms. Talbot, I presume,” he said, smiling and holding out his hand to assist her from the elevator.

Slowly, as if in a dream, she lifted her hand for him to take, never taking her eyes from his face. All her reservations, her caution and trepidation, vanished like the smoke of a snuffed candle.

He had the most amazing neon-blue eyes she had ever seen. They were warm and friendly, but they also held a glimpse of wisdom; ancient and self-assured. His hair was jet-black, cut short but falling in a natural wave that didn’t need maintenance. He was approximately 6'3" and built so that she would feel safe going down a dark alley at night with him – strong and able to handle himself, but at the same time, neither vain nor oppressive.

She couldn't imagine that someone like him would hurt her, but at the same time, neither could she explain why she felt utterly safe just being in his presence. He wore a pair of black dress slacks and an open-necked dark purple shirt with no tie, revealing his tanned upper chest. He looked perfectly human, yet perfectly divine.

She imagined that if she ever saw an angel, it would look like him. He was, in short, the most beautiful man she had ever set eyes on. And weren't angels purported to be this beautiful?

“Is there something wrong, Ms. Talbot?” Erick asked, still holding onto her hand.

“Oh no, no!” Hollianne felt her face heating up as if on fire. “I'm, um, just so amazed at how beautiful this place is.”

She transferred her eyes to her surroundings, though not really able to take anything in. Erick laughed. Oh, it was a beautiful, caressing sound!

“Come in, please. Let me show you around.”

Thus began one of the most remarkable nights of her life.

Erick showed her around the suite with an easy and unassuming confidence, relaxed and respectful, as if he were expecting nothing more to come of the evening than pleasant conversation. And why would he expect anything other than that? They had only just met. If either of them expected any more than chatting, it would cheapen the evening as well as their beginning connection. They sat down at a table in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window that offered an amazing view of the city, a constellation of thousands of lights like a black plain festooned with multi-coloured stars.

The table was full of covered dishes that, when uncovered by a suave and efficient waiter, offered a feast unlike anything Hollianne had ever experienced – course after course of delicate, mouthwatering cuisine accompanied by Pétrus and Romanée-Conti, a single bottle of which would cost more than her weekly food budget.