“I’m back indefinitely, no set plans yet. Gotta look for a place to stay while I’m here and Chris has already said I can pick up a few jobs with him.”
“A place to stay isn’t an issue, you can stay with me until you find something more permanent.”
“Appreciate that bro. Now, you gonna tell us why we’re here?”
As Alistair explained his need for the guys being there, he informed his driver to continue on to the Heartland building. As they neared, he groaned as he saw the crowds were just getting bigger. This was part of the job he hated. He’d been to movie premieres and big events when there were large crowds, but they were always controlled. Organised chaos is what he liked to call it. The scene he was about to come up on was definitely chaos but in no way was it organised.
The car stopped outside the building and already people were coming up to the car to try and see who was inside. Alistair had never been so happy that he’d paid the extra for the tinted windows.
“So, how do you want to play this bud?”
Alistair pondered his friend’s question before taking a deep breath.
“Let’s stick old school, you one side, Ant the other. I’m sure the two of you can get me through in one piece.”
“We’ll do our best bro, although, judging by the crazy look in some of those women’s eyes…..”
Anthony’s voice trailed off, leaving Alistair to fill in the rest of his sentence. Grinning at the two men sat opposite, Alistair waited as they exited the car to get into position. A few seconds later his door opened and he took a breath before stepping out onto the sidewalk. Chris and Anthony were immediately by his side. They each took one of his arms with the other stretched out in front of them, clearing a path through the screaming crowd.
He heard shouts of “we love you” and “oh my god it’s really him” before they reached the entrance to the building and two strong arms pushed him through the large doors. He had hoped things would be easier once he was inside but he’d been wrong. The crowds were even worse and it became clear that whoever had hacked into Chris’s email the night before had leaked his plans for today.
Looking at the two men by his side, he nodded and they proceeded forward. Never before had he felt like a piece of meat. He felt hands grabbing at him as Chris and Anthony led the way through the masses of women asking politely but firmly for people to make way. He felt Chris’ step falter slightly as they almost cleared the crowd. Turning head, he shot him a questioning glance.
“Don’t look now bud, but there’s a pretty little redhead over by the elevators I think you may like.”
Whipping his head around so quickly he almost gave himself whiplash, he saw her. She was indeed over by the elevators, waiting patiently for the doors to open. She wore a silky red blouse and black pants, her long hair swept up in a simple pony tail high on her head. The hairstyle revealed the creamy skin of her neck to him and he had to suppress a groan as images of kissing along that smooth skin invaded his mind.
When they were clear of the crowds, Anthony released his arm and spread his wide, effectively stopping anyone from progressing any further as he and Chris continued towards the elevators. He kept his eyes fixed on Samantha as the doors opened and she vanished inside.
“Stop that lift Chris.” Alistair said, surprised at how rough his voice sounded.
Catching the grin on his friend’s face, Alistair had to hide his surprised look as Chris sprinted towards the elevator. He moved pretty quickly for a guy his size. Alistair watched as he stuck his arm out, halting the progress of the doors that began to slide open again. He saw him flash his trademark grin at the woman inside before turning back to him.
“You go on ahead, we’ll meet you up there.”
Nodding his appreciation, Alistair closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath before moving around Chris and stepping into the small metal box. The look on her face was one of surprise and something else that he recognised only too well. Desire. He vaguely heard Chris talking to Anthony as the elevator doors slid shut behind him, hiding them away from the masses outside. Finally finding his voice, he spoke.
“Hello again Samantha.”
THE HEARTLAND SERIES
This story unfolds over the course of multiple short novels, each one following the continuing story of Sam Westfield and Alistair Lockwood
Heart & Soul: The Surprise, part two in the Heartland Series coming December 2013
Heart & Soul: The Meeting (Heartland Series) Page 7