Torn

by T. N. King

  It rang again, and she stared at it. She couldn’t spend all day weighing the pros and cons. After the third ring, and without thinking too much about it, she answered, “Hello?”

  “Hello. This is Loretta with the Hunt Group in New York. I need to confirm Mr. Hunt’s attendance to the New York Governor’s Ball for Wednesday next week.”

  Ellie froze. “Uhh.”

  “Hello?”

  “Yeah. Umm.”

  “Could you put Mr. Hunt on?”

  “I can’t,” she said, finally. “He’s not here.”

  “Well, aren’t you his administrative assistant?”

  “No,” she replied, then quickly added, “I found his phone. He dropped it when he rescued me this morning from a burning building. I haven’t had a chance to get it back to him.”

  “Oh, my,” Loretta replied. “I’m sure he’s a mess without it. I see on his calendar that he had a meeting with the Yamato Group this morning. You should return it as soon as possible.”

  “Of course,” Ellie agreed. “I intend to.”

  “Do you need the address to his penthouse?”

  “Well, umm…” This would be her chance to see him again! She needed to control her nervousness. “Yes, please.”

  Loretta continued, “He’s staying at the Hunt Hotel. The address is—”

  “Oh, I know where that is,” Ellie interrupted. “It’s a big, beautiful hotel in Center City, right?”

  “That sounds right.”

  “Okay, so, the Hunt Hotel penthouse?”

  “I’m sure you can just leave it at the front desk and someone will get it to him,” Loretta offered. “But, if you wanted to thank him for…rescuing you from a burning building, was it?”

  “Yeah. That’s what he did,” Ellie confirmed and rolled her eyes, regretting having mentioned that part.

  “Yes. Well, you are more than welcome to go up to deliver it yourself. I can give him a call and let him know that you are coming.”

  “No!” Ellie blurted out. “Please don’t do that. I’m not sure…”

  After a short pause Loretta asked, “Are you nervous, dear? He’s just a man. He puts his pants on one leg at a time like any other man. I’m sure he’d love to know that you appreciated his courage.”

  Ellie considered Loretta’s words and was thankful for the encouragement. Just a man? He’d looked a little more than that and his voice. She shook her head, as she again, got lost in the memory of him. “Just please don’t let him know that I found his phone. I promise I’ll take it to him first thing in the morning.”

  Loretta took a moment before responding, “How about this? I’ll notify him that his phone has been found so he can breathe easy, and know that it’s on its way, but I won’t mention that the young lady he rescued is the person who found it. Does that sound reasonable?”

  “That sounds very reasonable, yes. Thank you!” Ellie sighed in relief.

  Loretta wished her luck and said goodbye.

  Letting out a deep breath, she ended the call. What had she just agreed to? She felt both excited and terrified, but she did want to thank him properly. This was her chance. Maybe she could shine a little and make up for looking like a burnt dishrag when he’d first met her.

  Ellie laid Morgan’s phone back down on the table and returned to her shower to plan her outfit for tomorrow. She needed to look perfect when she saw this man, again.

  Morgan

  Morgan was lying back, relaxing in the hot tub. The non relaxing part was seeing her face. The girl he’d saved from a fire. So angelic, sweet and the look in her eyes. It made him feel—his suite phone rang. “Ugh.” He sighed with frustration, and lazily got out of the tub to answer. “Hello.”

  “Mr. Hunt?”

  “Yeah.”

  “This is Loretta from the Hunt Group here in New York. I just wanted to inform you that your phone has been located. Someone should be arriving there tomorrow morning to deliver it.”

  “Great! That’s awesome! Who found it?”

  “I’m not sure, sir. I just wanted to let you know that your phone is on its way. Also, sir, will you be attending the Governor’s Charity Ball in New York next Wednesday?”

  “Sure,” he said.

  “Should I RSVP one or will you be attending with a date?”

  “Uh.” Maybe he could take Ellie? If he could find her before then. “Put me down for two.”

  “I’ll update your calendar,” Loretta replied.

  “Okay. Well, thank you. Thank you very much. This just made my day.” Morgan hung up the phone and made a victorious fist pump in the air. “Yes!” The first thing he would do when he got it was back it up on the Cloud, then onto his tablet and laptop. He could always replace the phone but it was the information on it that made it so valuable to him.

  He looked around at his overly large but empty suite—his cause for celebration interrupted by his desire to see Ellie again. Wouldn’t it be great if she were the one that found his phone?

  Hmm. Ellie. He remembered how fragile she felt in his arms. An overwhelming sense of ownership towards her kept bugging him since this morning, as if he alone could prevent her from breaking. She had just seemed so delicate. Her skin looked like porcelain that could at any moment shatter into a million pieces. Why did he feel this way about a girl he only knew for a few minutes? One he’d pulled out of a burning building was probably why. He’d thought she might be dead when he first got to her. It had to be this fact. Vulnerable, petite and smoke covered as she wasn’t breathing well when he first dragged her clear of that gaping hole where he’d found her.

  He shook his head. Yes, that was it. It made sense. He wasn’t having feelings for a girl he just met. That was so not happening. What was happening was the fact that he just needed to quench his desire for her. He should have gotten her number if he’d wanted to do that. He blamed it on his own minor smoke inhalation. Must have went right to his head because he knew when he saw her running back into a burning building he’d felt a panic and something tightened in his chest. The odd fact that he’d failed to ask her out during their ten minute conversation was yet another huge oversight.

  “Get it together, Morgan,” he said aloud.

  He stood in front of the dresser mirror and caught the image of his well-toned physique while he pondered the situation. Luckily, he wasn’t a quitter. A successful businessman with a slew of contacts. He would find her. He could call the owner of the diner. Surely, he could find this information. He or she could then connect him to a manager or supervisor that could get him Ellie’s number. Or he could go to his investigator and let him find her. Simple, right? And it wasn’t stalking because he was genuinely concerned about her and having been her rescuer, afforded him the right to know how she fared.

  “Yeah,” he said and nodded at the Morgan staring back at him in the mirror.

  She would have some time off. Maybe she would enjoy a weekend getaway with him. Tahiti was nice this time of year, and he hadn’t had a vacation in—he didn’t even remember how long. Yes. This would all work out fine.

  Unless she refused. He shook his head at Mirror Morgan. You just met her. Why would she go anywhere with you?

  Morgan straightened and headed to his bedroom. He was known in his company as the master at sealing a deal. He could do it. He would do it. As soon as he got his phone back, he would make some calls.

  Ellie and he would be having dinner tomorrow tonight on his private jet.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Early the next morning, Ellie splurged on a cab to the Hunt Hotel. She didn’t want to risk taking a bus and getting caught up in any number of dramas that regularly occurred on the bus in Philly. The most recent incident involved a drunken man attempting to hijack the bus she was on with a drumstick. The situation never got dangerous, but it did get out of hand enough for the bus driver to have to pull over and call the police to have the man removed. She arrived to work late that day and ended up having to work an extra shift to make up for miss
ing the lunch rush. It would be just her luck to have a similar incident happen today of all days.

  The cab dropped her off right outside of the luxurious Hunt Hotel. A highly decorated man in uniform opened the cab door for her.

  Fancy. “Thank you,” she told the man who nodded.

  She stepped onto a sleek gray stone walk that led her to the entrance where another set of fancy uniformed men awaited to open the glass doors for her.

  “Thank you,” she said again, to the man holding the door open for her.

  “Ma’am.”

  Once inside the lobby, her eyes were drawn to the humongous and brilliant chandelier that hung in the center above a contemporarily arranged, plush group of sofas in deep, rich, jewel tones. Elegant looking men and women sat on those sofas, reading from their high-tech gadgets or talking on their super sleek cell phones. There was a business center immediately to the left and a Starbucks style coffee shop to the right. Ellie looked around and didn’t see anyone who honestly looked like they were on vacation. As sophisticated as this place looked, there definitely seemed to be an atmosphere of business. Higher end influence and people who were from the upper echelon in life. Rich and looking like they could care less about anyone else in the room.

  What am I doing here?

  She glanced down at her simple, but feminine, red and white polka dot dress and open-toed red pumps. Then she immediately, felt out of place. It was the nicest dress she owned that didn’t imply Senior High School Prom because somehow, jeans and a t-shirt just didn’t feel right for what she was about to do.

  What was she about to do? Try to impress a billionaire? She shook her head.

  This is a bad idea. Geeze Ellie, you are full of those…bad ideas.

  She was about to turn around and walk straight back out the door when she remembered another bad idea she had just the other day. If she hadn’t gone into that burning diner, she might not have ever met Morgan. Now here she was. She turned back around. Come on. You can do this. You have to do this. After adjusting her super skinny white patent leather belt, so the cute little silver belt buckle was facing forward, she then smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress. Bracing herself, she took a deep breath and continued on up to the front desk.

  She approached the lady behind the desk and set her trendy looking, knock-off, Louis Vuitton purse on the counter. Addressing her in her best, strictly business, voice, she said, “Hello, Marge,” after reading her name tag. “I’m here to return a cell phone to Mr. Morgan Hunt.”

  The strawberry blond haired lady, who tapped away at a computer keyboard, peeked at her from above her thick, black-rimmed, reading glasses, which were connected to a silver chain that she wore around her neck. “Do you have a room here?” she asked.

  “No,” Ellie answered. Why would that matter? “I just need to return his phone.”

  “Well, we can take that for you and send it right up to him,” Marge suggested.

  Ellie hesitated. Maybe that would be for the best. She chewed on her lower lip while she thought, until Marge interrupted by clearing her throat.

  Ellie looked up at her and buoyed her false courage. “I’d like to deliver it myself,” she said, trying to exude confidence.

  Marge arched a brow. “Very well. I’ll just call up and let him know you’re coming,” she said and offered Ellie a snooty grin.

  “Okay,” Ellie replied, avoiding the temptation to roll her eyes. This lady was nowhere near as helpful as Loretta had been. These people who thought they were superior. She ran into one everyday, maybe two. Like they were anything better. Yes, she lived in a rundown apartment, but she had her qualities. Screw this lady. Now she definitely wanted to take the phone up herself because Marge, for some reason, wanted to give her a hard time. She could have just said, ‘No problem, ma’am. Go right ahead.’ It’s not like she couldn’t find the penthouse suite on her own. It was at the very top of the building.

  Ellie tried to calm down, so she could hear what else this old bag had to say.

  “Good evening, Mr. Hunt. This is Marge at the front desk. How are you this evening? Is everything to your liking?”

  Oh boy. This lady was really laying it on. Ellie distracted herself by glancing at the modern art that hung on the wall next to her. She didn’t know how much more of this she could take. All this staggering wealth, these people with their Gucci, Armani and—

  “That’s wonderful! Well, the reason for this call is to inform you that a young lady says she’s here to return your cell phone. Do you know anything about this?” Marge peered at Ellie from the top of her glasses again. “Her name?”

  Ellie’s eye’s widened. “He wouldn’t know me,” she blurted out. “I mean, we just met. It’s not like he’d remember.” She shook her head, pleading with her eyes for Marge to just drop the name business.

  “Well, she says you wouldn’t remember her and she seems very anxious about saying her name,” Marge said into the phone.

  Oh! For the love of— Ellie gave Marge a tight lipped smile and said, “Ellie. My name is Ellie.” Well, so much for going up and surprising him. He’d probably just have Marge send it up, now. Why would he want to see her? Like he even had the time or cared.

  “She says her name is Ellie.” Marge’s expression suddenly changed. “Oh. Send her right up? Well, alright, I’ll tell her.” Marge hung up the receiver and gave Ellie another snooty look from behind her glasses, but her smile was cracked. “Mr. Hunt said for you to go on up.”

  Ellie wanted so badly to say, ‘Hah!’ to this old snob, but remembered that she was a lady and instead said, “Why thank you, Marge. It’s been lovely chatting with you.” Ellie wrinkled her nose at her, hung her purse over her arm, and made her way to the elevators.

  As satisfying as that felt, she now realized she was about to see Morgan again. Of course, she felt nervous, but it made her happy finding out that he remembered her.

  She entered into the roomy elevator when it dinged. The interior was all mirrors and fancy as all get out. She pushed the button that said, Penthouse, and then retreated to the far corner. There were thirty-four floors, so she imagined that it’d be a while. She turned to fix her makeup in the mirror and admired the perfect shade of red lipstick that she’d chosen for the occasion. She’d curled her hair and wore it down to show off what she considered her best attribute—her long, chocolate colored locks. The curled ringlets hung down nearly to her waist and framed her creamy, white, face, neck and shoulders. Despite feeling out of place, she knew she looked good.

  The elevator arrived sooner than she expected. When it dinged and the doors opened, she stepped out. Down the hall was the only door on that floor. This had to be it. She took a deep breath and made her way towards it.

  Once there, she hesitated before knocking. Then with a deep breath, she tapped the door.

  Morgan answered on the first try.

  She froze and her eyes widened as she tried to take him all in.

  “Ellie! Hi,” he greeted. “I wish I’d known it was you that was coming. I’d have made sure I wasn’t—” He gestured at himself with his hands.

  Ellie knew she was staring but, good god, he didn’t have a shirt on. Light perspiration glistened off of his lean, sculpted abs and his thighs looked as tight and toned as a professional athlete’s. He totally pulled off the skimpy pair of silver running shorts he wore.

  She stood, frozen, at the door for a good long while before remembering why she came up. What is my name? Where am I? Her thoughts whirled around and she could not seem to grasp one thing enough to stop the whirling ride of Morgan in speedos. After peeling her eyes away from his Greek God body, she reached into her purse and pulled out his cell phone. “You must have dropped this yesterday,” she said keeping the tremble out of her voice, and handed it to him.

  “Yeah,” he said, and offered her a brilliant smile. He took the phone from her. “Hey, why don’t you come in. Give me just a minute to shower, real quick and…yeah, just come in.”

&nbs
p; Ellie smiled back and took a step into his luxurious penthouse suite. “Wow,” she said. “This is nice.”

  Morgan nodded. “Yeah. I don’t come up to Philly as often as I’d like to, but when I do, I like to stay here, if I can. I have an apartment in New York City, so I don’t get to stay at that Hunt Hotel too often.”

  Ellie smiled and nodded. “So, you live in New York?”

  “Lake Placid, actually. I have a house there right on the lake.”

  “Lake Placid. Wow.” Yes, she was impressed and depressed all at the same time, this man was so out of her league. Ellie kept smiling as an awkward silence lingered while they stared at each other.

  “Yeah, so, I’m gonna grab that shower, okay? You make yourself comfortable. There’s a balcony, over there,” he said and pointed to glass doors behind rich, golden, drapes. “And there’s an entertainment center right over there. Everything is digital. It’s not too hard to figure out.” He smiled and nodded.

  Ellie smiled and nodded. Then he turned and went into, what she assumed was his bedroom, through a pair of high double doors.

  Ellie exhaled. Oh, my god! This place was surreal. He was surreal.

  She stayed planted to her spot at the entrance, while she considered whether or not she should just leave. What did she think would happen? Would he whisk her away from her pathetic little life? This was crazy. Like Pretty woman noire or something. Insane and not real life. He probably had a date for this very night. Some tall, lithe blonde model type.

  Dammit though, he was so nice. And he would be expecting her to be here when he got out of the shower. She couldn’t just bail on him like that. She looked around.

  His suite was bigger than her tiny apartment. And when she saw stairs leading up, she figured it was probably bigger than her entire apartment complex altogether.

  Her whole life she’d dreamed about just having enough. She couldn’t imagine what it felt like to have everything. No one she’d ever known had anything comparable. Then she chided herself. What are you a freakin’ gold digger? Get some pride, Ellie. You need to stay on planet earth. His wealth shouldn’t matter, the man had saved your life, and you need to remember to thank him and then leave.