“I never thought about that.” Jonas swallowed. “It’s a good chance if she could get tickets. Maybe you could put a few comp tickets at the front desk with her name. She might try to go that route if she can’t get tickets any other way. Hey, what if you run into her here? The villa we’re in has two bedrooms that are far apart, but I don’t want to hear you guys fucking. I got enough of your shouts and moans when we were starving artists, and we had to share that little flat.”
“I was the starving artist, you moved in with me and became my roommate. And this is Vegas asshole, find something to do. Take your ass down to the pool where the girls are topless.” Stieg grinned.
“Hello, Mr. Genius, I’m gay. Women’s tits don’t do anything for me.” Jonas tipped back his soft drink and chugged the contents then belched loudly.
“You’re also a pig.” Stieg threw his napkin at Jonas. “Besides there will be men there to see the tits. You can look at them. And if you get a boner from the guys, they’ll assume it’s the girls. You’re forgetting I know you well enough to know that if you get slightly drunk, you like women’s tits.”
“You know you’re right. If you find this Lisbeth girl, I’ll find something to keep me occupied, but I won’t give you all night. Fuck like bunnies for a while, but you’ll have to sleep sometime. Just text me when I can come back to the room.” Jonas smiled. “I hope you get to fuck like bunnies. I hope I can find someone to fuck.”
Stieg laughed as he finished off his dinner. “The session isn’t until tomorrow, but I need to get together with Hans and Alison to work out the details. I’m glad I’m behind the camera on this one. As the stars, they get to travel the world over to press the movie. I go where I want, but it’s nice to get away though.”
“It is. Especially for me since you’re paying my way. It’s good to be the assistant sometimes.” Jonas grinned as he looked around their accommodations. “Can you believe that we get to stay in this place? The bedrooms alone are bigger than our entire apartment when we first moved in together. Hell, the bedrooms have his and her bathrooms for fuck’s sake. And a damn backyard with a pool, hot tub and putting green?”
“Don’t forget the fountain out there. Did you see the huge shower in the men’s bathrooms? It’s as big as a normal bathroom. Incredible really.” Stieg shook his head. “It would be unbelievable if we weren’t staying here to see it for ourselves.”
“What good is it being rich and famous if you can’t get the very best?” Jonas grabbed another soft drink.
“The studio is paying for this, not me. But honestly? I’ve been miserable without Lisbeth. No amount of money has made it better.”
Jonas rolled his eyes and groaned. “God, I hope she’s here. I can’t take your whining anymore.”
“Asshole.” But Stieg grinned as he stood to push the empty food cart to the hallway.
*****
Tel and Lisbeth gaped at the long and wide hallway. The floors were marble tile with oriental rugs, and high wooden tables were placed every so often with large vases of fresh flowers. Between the tables were full-size couches. The paintings on the walls above the couches were huge.
Lisbeth looked around, clearing her throat at the opulence. “This is the swankiest place I’ve ever seen. I mean, wow. Can you imagine what the rooms look like if the hallway is this decadent?”
Tel tsked as she craned her head to look at the hallway they’d just walked down. “We should’ve had a clue when we were met at the airport with a stretch limo. I thought it was because of Dr. Kensington, but I read that is an amenity of the rooms we’re in. So is the private entrance to the hotel. I’m not used to this treatment. Although, I could get used to it quickly.” Tel looked around, admiring the paintings and marble statues.
At the end of the hall, a young man sat behind a desk. He looked up as they approached. “Hello, my name is Jarred, and I’m the on-duty butler. I’ll show you to your villa.” He stood as he took their identification and searched his tablet for their rooms. He smiled as he looked behind the women. “I see your baggage has arrived. You’re staying in villa two. Right, this way.”
“What do you mean the on-duty butler?” Lisbeth thought this place was ritzy before, but now she thought she hadn’t scratched the surface.
“This hotel has set aside this section of accommodations for those used to privacy and elegance. For many who stay here, they require the amenity of butler service twenty-four hours a day. If you need anything, just pick up any phone in your rooms, and it will ring the desk.” Lisbeth looked around as they turned down another long hallway. She passed a food cart in the hallway and then stopped at the door just down and across the hall.
“Ah, here we are, villa two.” Jarred scanned a plastic keycard to unlock the door. Lisbeth gasped when the door opened to a circular entryway with a gorgeous crystal chandelier under a domed ceiling of stained glass. Tables sat all around the large foyer with baskets containing various sundries and fresh fruit. One table had a basket that held several square bottles of expensive bottled water. A tray of fresh macaroons was also sitting on a table. Under the chandelier sat a round wooden table with a crystal vase full of fresh flowers.
“Straight ahead is the formal living room with a fireplace and desk equipped for computer setup. To your right, down this hallway, is a half-bath and the door at the end of the hall is one of the bedroom suites.”
Tel moved down the hall and opened the door. Her whistle made Lisbeth smile. Jarred grinned as well and gave her a small wink.
“This way is the media room and farther down the hall is the second bedroom suite. Come this way.” He led them through the media room to a set of tall French doors. Pushing them open it led to an enclosed yard. “To the left is the pool that surrounds the hot tub and to the right is the putting green. The telephone on the covered table will also ring the butler desk.”
“Holy Mother. People really stay in these places?” Tel was shaking her head. Jarred just smiled as he turned to point at the ten-foot-tall, light tan concrete walls that surrounded the area, adorned with ivy and statues of gargoyles. Palm trees were planted on the opposite side of the wall, their green fronds visible. A fountain with water coming out the mouth of a lion’s head was in the middle of the back wall.
“Also, don’t be alarmed at night when you hear lions and tigers. They are housed not too far from here for the nightly show put on here. You’re perfectly safe. Now, come back inside, and I’ll show you how to run the misters, turn on the sound for music to be piped outside and the controls for the hot tub and fountain.” After he pointed out the control panel on the wall in the media room, he indicated the bar that she hadn’t seen before.
“There’s a small refrigerator behind the bar and a small sink as well. The bar isn’t stocked but you can contact us, and we’ll bring you whatever you need.”
“Um,” Lisbeth was still in shock at the extravagance of the rooms, “I think Dr. Lackney and I will be fine.”
“Great. On one of the tables at the entrance, you’ll find vouchers for free breakfast at our twenty-four-hour buffet. Please retain your keycards. They will allow entry to this private area of the Villas. Also it’s the only way you can access the secret doorway from the casino area. We do have security stationed in each hallway in case someone who isn’t allowed access enters the area, so make sure your keycard is available or you might be held until proof of your right to be here is established. Your keycard gets you into special areas of the hotel such as the pool areas. Our records indicate that your room is paid for by KenSpec Labs, even gratuities are taken care of, so you won’t need to pay for anything, even tipping for room service.”
Tel looked around the posh space and zeroed her gaze in on Lisbeth. She handed her a lanyard with a plastic case. Tel slid her own around her neck and put the keycard in the clear case. “Well, my dear, if things go as planned for you, I suspect you’ll be spending more time in these rooms than I will.” She smiled. “At least I would if I were in your posit
ion. Text me if you need the rooms for privacy. Oh, and Jarred, how soundproof are these rooms?”
Totally nonplused Jared smiled. “Very.”
“Good, good. Then I won’t worry about disturbing you, Lisbeth.” She turned and walked down the hallway to the first bedroom suite she had inspected. “I’m calling dibs on this one, dear. I’m sure I won’t be using the pool. Since your room leads to the pool, I’ll leave that room for you!” The bedroom door shut and Lisbeth looked to the butler.
He nodded as he walked himself to the entryway. “Your luggage has been delivered. Do you require help to get it to your bedroom suite?”
Lisbeth gave a humorless chuckle. She looked at the bags remaining on the cart. Dr. Lackney must have already grabbed hers. “No, I have two bags, so I think I’m good, but thank you. Maybe you can answer me something though. What time does the question and answer session start tomorrow for the Saturday Moon movie?” He looked at his electronic tablet and typed on the screen. Lisbeth’s heart was beating so hard she thought the butler could hear it. She was hopefully going to see Stieg tomorrow.
“That begins at eleven. The movie trailer will be shown first, and then the cast will come to the stage. Do you have tickets for that specific event? The keycard will get you into the convention, but I believe you need to have purchased tickets for the Q and A and the meet and greet luncheon afterward.”
“Yes, my boss Dr. Kensington has our tickets. Oh um, he’s staying in the penthouse suite. Is there a way to leave him a message? I don’t want to disturb them, I mean him.”
“I can send him an electronic message that will appear on his television. I can give your contact information for this Villa so that he can contact you at his convenience. Will that be acceptable?” Jarred held his tablet, waiting for her permission to do just that.
“Yes. Tell him he can contact me when he wants. I doubt I’ll sleep much tonight.” Jarred nodded as he punched in the message. With a final nod, he opened the door to the hallway. She heard him speaking to someone before he shut the door. Sighing, she looked around the Villa, wondering if Stieg was nearby. If he saw her, would he know who she was, or would she have to convince him she wasn’t a crazy fan?
Lisbeth walked her bags to her room and decided to call Deb and give her an update. She couldn’t tell her everything of course, but she did know Stieg would be at the hotel tomorrow. She was glad she took Deb’s advice to talk to Captain Amsted. Otherwise, she’d still be miserable and questioning her sanity.
Chapter Five
The large conference room was packed with people when Lisbeth walked in with Dave, Sadie, and Marc. The raised stage area had been set up with a long table, chairs and microphones. Behind the stage, a large screen had been dropped from the ceiling, and a podium was far to Lisbeth’s left. Two aisles ran the length of hundreds of chairs for the audience, but a microphone was on a stand at the end of each aisle. Lisbeth was afraid she’d hyperventilate as they walked to their seats. God, Stieg would be here soon. She nearly tripped over her own feet when Dave grabbed her arm to steady her.
“Calm down. You won’t get to see him if you’re getting whisked out of here in an ambulance.” Just like her training and drills, Dave’s calm voice helped her to regain some control.
Sadie turned to her and gave her a sympathetic smile. Her warm hands grabbed Lisbeth’s own cold ones. “Lisbeth, I can only imagine how you must be feeling. Take a deep breath, honey. Did you sleep at all last night?” Lisbeth shook her head and swallowed as the emcee came out on stage and stood behind the podium. The room quieted down, waiting to hear what the man was going to say.
“Everyone find your seats, please. The room is going to darken soon for the trailer, and we don’t want anyone to get hurt in the low light.” The noise in the room grew as excited people found their assigned seats. Lisbeth swore she felt surrounded by static electricity.
Sadie continued to hold her hand as they found where they were sitting in the third row of the far-left section of seats. The stars were going to be to her right, all the way across the large room. She didn’t think Stieg would be able to see her. Her heart nearly sank to her toes. Marc sat down first, then Sadie and her with Dave in the aisle seat.
Marc reached across his wife to get Lisbeth’s attention. “Don’t worry, Lisbeth, I signed up to ask a question. When it’s my turn, I’ll let you go to the mic, and you’ll get his attention then. If that doesn’t work, we can get into the meet and greet. Now breathe before you turn blue.”
Lisbeth jumped in her seat and crowd screamed when the lights suddenly shut out. A loud boom happened at the back of the room and traveled down hidden speakers to the front of the room before the screen lit up. The crowd was already going wild, while she held tighter to Sadie’s hand, hoping she wasn’t hurting her. Her nerves were drawn so tight she was surprised she wasn’t screaming. Or fainting. She was so out of control her knees were shaking. She took a deep breath, then another, trying to focus on calming her heart rate.
Dave put his arm over her shoulder and leaned to whisper to her. “Lisbeth, I’ll walk you to the microphone if you need help. I know some of what you are feeling, and I promise you this, it’s going to be okay. I’ve never led you wrong, have I?” Lisbeth knew he was right. He’d always been a calm and effective leader. She trusted had him with her life. Literally.
The trailer played to the oohs and awws of the crowd, but Lisbeth hardly saw it. She played in her mind every scenario of what could happen when she stepped to the microphone. She imagined everything from Stieg not recognizing her in the least to him running to her in slow motion to take her into his arms. She began to shake as the lights came on. This was it.
The emcee walked out to the crowd cheering and shouting. Applause almost drown out the man as he stood clapping at the screen. As he got the crowd to quiet down, Lisbeth noticed security guards dressed in black uniforms walking to stand in front of the stage.
“How was that for exciting, huh?” The crowd cheered again. “Now for the real reason you are all here. I’d like to introduce the cast who will be talking to you about this movie and who will take questions.” The crowd came to their feet. The emcee introduced all the major stars of the movie, saving the main two stars, Alison and Hans, for last. Lisbeth nearly cried when she though Stieg wouldn’t be there. Some of the stars who were supposed to be here had to cancel, perhaps he wasn’t coming. It seemed hours since the trailer started. God, she was falling apart.
“And last but not least, you all know this next man from television and movies but most recently for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Europe’s most notorious contemporary serial killer in the movie Darkness Falls.” A buzzing began in Lisbeth’s ears as the crowd began to cheer. “Ladies and gentlemen the director of Saturday Moon, Mr. Stieg Warner!”
All went quiet for Lisbeth. It was as if someone shut off her hearing. Stieg walked onto the stage then everything seemed to move in slow motion. She saw him smile as he walked out and shook the emcee’s hand. The cast members each stood and either hugged him or shook his hand, but all she could hear was her heartbeat in her ears and her unsteady breathing. She was covered in cold chills and was trembling so hard she thought her bones would come through her skin. Dave had his arm around her, shaking her to get her attention, but she couldn’t look away from the man who haunted her dreams and owned her heart.
“Miss Mohr, Lisbeth.” Dave was saying her name in her ear. “Hey, come on. You’ve come this far—don’t wimp out on me now. You’re white as a sheet. You faced death when we nearly crashed after the time rip. You can do this.” She felt her head nod, but she didn’t look away from Stieg. She could feel Sadie rubbing her arm, but she still couldn’t look at anything but Stieg.
“Lisbeth, take a breath and get ready. They’ll be calling you for your question. Dave, you’ll have to go with her. Right now, I don’t think she could walk.” Marc’s voice sounded far away. She felt her body being shaken and closed her eyes. Every emotion flo
oded her. Fear, desire, hope, desperation, love. She opened her eyes to see Dave inches from her face.
“This is it. Are you ready?” She felt her head nod and Dave pulling her up. He held her hand as he tugged her toward the microphone stand at the end of the aisle. She stood meekly behind him as he pulled the microphone from the stand and brought it to his mouth. He gave a little chuckle before he spoke. “I had to help my friend down here—she’s a little star struck.” The crowd laughed, some shouting out words of understanding. “I believe her question is for Mr. Warner.”
She took a deep breath and focused on seeing a large silver microphone in front of her face. She reached a shaking hand out and nearly dropped it, but Dave steadied her. Dave stepped back, unblocking her view of Stieg. Somewhere a camera behind the stage focused in on her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see herself on the huge screen, wide-eyed, pale and trembling. A split screen of the cast appeared next to her for all to see.
“Hello.” She cleared her throat and locked eyes with him. Her fingers felt numb and cold. “I – I wanted to know.” Her heart began to pound when she noticed his eyes had widened. He slowly stood up, his mouth opened and closed. He put his left arm out and waved to someone out of sight. From the side of the stage, a muscular dark-haired man walked out to him, saying something she couldn’t hear. Stieg grabbed his arm and nodded. “I…” Her mind went blank as Stieg moved away from the table. It seemed to her that the room was going dark around her, but Dave grabbed her sides as her knees got weak.
Lisbeth jumped and dropped the microphone as loud alarms shrieked through the conference room. She turned in circles, watching the room erupt into chaos. She heard Dave beside her, but she didn’t understand his words. Movement from the front of the room drew her attention as the security guards jumped up on the stage and led the stars out the back. She screamed in fear and loss as Stieg struggled with a guard who was dragging him away, his arms outstretched toward her. She screamed his name and felt the crowd rushing into the aisles to escape the room. The emcee came over the loudspeakers, telling everyone to remain calm and evacuate out the back. Dave wrapped his arms around her waist and fought against the crowd to get her to the side of the room. Marc and Sadie were already there, pressed against the wall to avoid being trampled.
My Forever Love (Crossing the Line Book 2) Page 6