by Carsen Taite
*
Greer caught all the lavishing looks Ainsley tossed her way. It took every ounce of restraint she possessed not to reach across the gearshift and accept Ainsley’s tacit invitation to touch. She restrained herself. She figured if she could make it through the next hour, she would never see Ainsley again. She needed the complication to be gone.
Ainsley said it was no trouble to drive her directly to Tesuque, but Greer decided as soon as they got to Santa Fe, she would make some excuse for ending the journey there. The relative freedom of the car, compared to the tight quarters of the plane, made her want to do things she knew were crazy. All she could think about were the many secluded places they could turn off I-25 and exorcise the pent-up desire she knew they both were feeling. She envisioned Ainsley’s tall, lithe form bent back over the red rocks at the top of La Bajada hill. Her skirt hitched high, granting ready access to Greer’s hungry mouth. Now, what would Ethan say about these visions, she wondered. She realized channeling Ethan was not going to help in this situation. She knew Ethan would be as torn as she was between lust and sense.
Yep. She planned to get off the temptation train in Santa Fe. She could stop in at her cousin Drew’s hotel and hitch a ride with her when she got off work for the day. Besides, she didn’t want a stranger, even someone she was currently lusting over, to know where she was staying. She might as well preserve whatever anonymity she could. She had made a quick call to her aunt’s house from a pay phone at the airport. No one answered, so she spun a tale as long as the allotted tape time would allow. She was stopping in for a visit, and she would explain the suddenness of her appearance later, her message had said before the beep signaled she was disconnected.
“Do you visit Santa Fe often?”
Greer hesitated before answering. Ainsley’s questions so far had been direct and to the point. If she thought she was riding in a car with Greer Davis, or was even curious about it, she would pose a straightforward query. They had a sixty-minute ride in front of them, and Greer knew avoiding casual conversation would be rude. “I grew up out here, but I left after college. I come back for holidays and special occasions.” As the words left her lips, she pondered the truth of her last remark. She used to spend holidays at Aunt Ellen’s and Uncle Clayton’s, but right now she couldn’t name the last one she’d been present to help celebrate.
“I’m kind of holiday only with my family too,” Ainsley said before resuming her role as inquisitor. “Since this is my first time in Santa Fe, what do you recommend as necessary activity?”
Greer resisted the urge to suggest herself as a “necessary activity” and decided it was time for her to ask some questions. “I get the impression you’re here for business. Will you have much free time?”
“Probably not much, but I’d still like some insider scoop on the best spots in case I have time to enjoy them.”
“Well, I would suggest hiking, but you don’t look like the outdoorsy type.” Greer dodged Ainsley’s friendly punch. “Seriously, those heels must be six inches tall.”
“Three. And, for your information, I’m perfectly capable of enjoying the great outdoors.”
She must do something to keep her body in such great shape. Greer feigned indifference. “Whatever. You won’t be enjoying many trail hikes in those beauties.”
“I assume we’re still talking about my shoes?”
Greer laughed. Maybe Ainsley Faraday wasn’t so buttoned up after all. “Nope, I’ve moved on. My second favorite activity out here is eating. Staying in Santa Fe, you’ll have your choice of five-star restaurants, but be sure to frequent some of the local dives for fantastic New Mexican food. I hope you like your chile hot.”
“I like lots of things hot.”
Greer smiled. Definitely not buttoned up at all. She was pleasantly surprised to find that conversation with Ainsley was so free and easy, and Greer contemplated whether she should suggest a detour after all.
“What kind of music do you like?”
Greer’s feelings of contentment dissolved, and she shot a suspicious look at Ainsley. What kind of question was that? Was this some clever ploy of Ainsley’s to get her to admit who she was?
Ainsley returned her stare and nodded at the radio where her hand rested on the dial. “Radio? Music? Do you have a preference?” They had been listening to NPR the entire drive and now it looked like she was going channel surfing. Greer stifled a groan. Good thing she hadn’t voiced her plans for a quickie. She was pretty sure Ainsley thought she was a whack-job. “I’m pretty flexible. I like all kinds of music.” She was interested to hear what kind of music Ainsley would choose.
“Our next song is from the latest album by Greer Davis, Escape. This album hit number one on the Billboard charts last week. Pretty ironic. While Greer’s album now has the highest profile in the music industry, she’s apparently decided to hide from the limelight after country western star Macy Rivers turned up dead in Greer’s penthouse under mysterious circumstances. Escape indeed.”
Greer sat on her hands. It took every ounce of restraint she could muster not to change the station or yell at the dial. Typical. What did some two-bit DJ sitting in a booth hundreds of miles away from Chicago know about her or what she had gone through since Macy decided to take a run on the wild side? Mysterious circumstances, indeed. Macy snorted a little coke, liked it, and didn’t know when to stop. End of story.
Greer tried to focus on the music, but the surreal experience of hearing her own voice growling through the speakers, pining for escape from the pain of lost love, provided a distraction of its own.
“Can you believe her?”
“What?” Greer didn’t need to ask the question to know the subject of Ainsley’s question. It would be a long time before this story ended.
“That punk, Greer Davis. See what easy success does? Makes you irresponsible.” Ainsley waved a hand to emphasize her point. “If she had had to work to achieve the fame she has, she might be less inclined to act out.”
Greer was more determined than ever to cut this ride short. Rather than joining Ainsley’s criticisms, she pointed to a sign up ahead. “There’s the exit you want. St. Francis Drive.”
Ainsley reacted quickly and veered to the right. “Is this the best way to get to your place?”
“I need to do a couple of things in town.” Greer answered with deliberate vagueness. “I’ll let you know where to drop me off and then you can be on your way. I can get a ride to the house later.” She studiously ignored the obvious disappointment on Ainsley’s face. Hell, she was disappointed too, but the events of the past two days had taught her a stiff lesson in discretion. Concerns about her wig falling off her head at the wrong moment aside, she would be crazy to get involved with someone, especially someone who thought she was completely lacking in moral fiber. Best to cut this little fantasy short before things got out of hand. “Up here you’re going to turn right onto Cerrillos. For future reference, it’ll take you right into downtown.”
“Even smaller than I thought,” Ainsley muttered.
“Pardon?”
“Santa Fe’s a pretty small town, isn’t it?”
“I suppose,” Greer replied. “I’ve seen a lot smaller. Tesuque’s center of commerce consists of a combination grocery store/gas station/restaurant.” She pointed out a turn ahead while laughing at the round “O” Ainsley’s astonished expression produced. “I gather you’re a strictly big-city kind of girl.”
“Pretty much. Small towns aren’t my normal choice of destinations.”
Greer searched the side of the road for a distraction. “Pull over there.” She pointed to a rail yard on the left. Ainsley maneuvered the car into the gravel-filled parking lot outside of the well-known Tomasita’s restaurant. Greer figured she could hang out there, feasting on hot green chile, while she figured out her next step.
“Good food?” Ainsley asked.
“Great food.”
“Perhaps I’ll join you.” Ainsley purred.
&nbs
p; “Uh, well, I was…It’s just I wasn’t going to—”
Ainsley’s seductive expression quickly rearranged into nonchalance. “Hey, it was only a suggestion. I have things to do anyway.” She stopped the car and pushed the button that opened the trunk. “Need help with your things?”
Greer could read the hurt behind Ainsley’s feigned indifference. She would love to share dinner with Ainsley. She would love to share much more. Under different circumstances, she would not have hesitated to take Ainsley up on her offer, though she would have countered with the suggestion they forgo chile and warm up some other way. Under different circumstances.
“Thanks, no. I got it.” Greer climbed out of the car. Ainsley wasted no time taking off once Greer pulled her luggage from the trunk. Greer watched the cloud of dust billowing in her wake and cursed her current circumstance. She was certain she had let a good one get away.
*
Ainsley wasn’t hurt by Tray’s rejection, but she did question her own prowess. She was confident in her ability to seduce. Maybe it was small-town bad luck or the fiery red hair. Whatever the reason, a tryst with Tray wasn’t in the cards. She was there to work anyway, and getting involved with a hot babe was likely to be a distraction.
With her personal navigator gone, Ainsley resorted to plugging the hotel’s address into the rental car’s GPS device. She didn’t plan to stay at the Lancer this evening, but she wanted to at least do a drive-by to get a feel for the place. She and the rest of the acquisition team had rooms booked at the El Dorado. Since a date with Tray was off the table for the evening, she decided to get down to business. She reached for her phone.
“Yes, this is Ainsley Faraday. I’ll be checking in shortly, but in the meantime, I’d like to leave a message for several guests who will be staying with you this evening.” Ainsley waited a moment while the desk clerk at the El Dorado took down the names she rattled off, then she dictated a message directing the entire team to meet at her suite at seven p.m. sharp. She instructed the desk clerk to order a buffet dinner for the group sent to her room, then she clicked off, determined to locate the Lancer.
Downtown Santa Fe was even smaller than she expected, but it still took several loops around the plaza to locate the Lancer Hotel. She finally located one of the rare parking spots on a side street and got out to walk around.
Most of the shops were closed, but their wide windows reflected a variety of merchandise ranging from original oil paintings depicting adobe buildings and breathtaking sunsets over mountain ranges to row after row of silver and turquoise bangles, with some kitschy T-shirts included in the mix. Each building she passed had a singular aspect in common with its neighbors; they were all finished in one of several shades of brown, with only splotches of color on their signs to mark the differences between them. The Lancer Hotel was no different. A lighter shade of tan, the five-story building was edged on either side by a coffeehouse and an art gallery. The sign was simple and dated. Frank had told her the hotel itself was fifty years old. It housed a tiny lobby bar and café-style restaurant, but its main draw was its location, steps away from the plaza. Ainsley didn’t enter the building. She wanted to manage the effect of her arrival. She would get a preliminary report from the team tonight in her hotel suite. Her appraisal of the outside told her everything she needed to know for now. Peeling paint on the window frames, cracks in the stucco, and the old-fashioned sign signaled she would be busier than she had imagined.
*
“Drew,” Greer whispered loudly. “Over here.” Greer kept the menu in front of her face, but beckoned with her eyes. Drew walked toward her, but her perplexed expression made it clear she had no idea who Greer was. Greer had been purposely cryptic when she called the Lancer Hotel and asked Drew to meet her at Tomasita’s. The crazy details of her last-minute visit were better explained in person.
Greer slowly lowered the menu. She hadn’t seen her cousin in several years, but she looked exactly the same. Blond, blue-eyed, and an athletic build from years of outdoor sports. Greer noted, not for the first time, how Drew looked more like a surfer girl than a desert rat. “Don’t say anything. It’s very important you don’t react, okay?”
Drew frowned, and Greer realized if she didn’t explain fast, Drew would walk off, convinced she was being stalked by a crazy woman. Greer leaned in close and whispered in Drew’s ear, “It’s me, Greer.”
Drew jerked back and exclaimed, “What!”
“Shh.” Greer ducked back behind the menu. “I told you not to react!”
“What am I supposed to say? Depending on which source you choose to believe, you’re either a fugitive from justice or enjoying a life of leisure on a remote desert island. Seeing you here, with flaming red hair, was pretty much the last thing I expected.”
“Yeah, me too.” Greer placed her hand on her arm. “I know I have some explaining to do, but can we eat first? I’m starving.”
Drew shrugged. “If we make it quick. I need to get home. There’s a lot going on. You’re coming to the house, aren’t you?”
Greer noted Drew’s words were more expectation than invitation. “Actually, I was hoping you would give me a ride. I’m kinda stranded.” Drew raised her eyebrows and Greer added, “It’s a long story.”
Drew secured a table in the back of the restaurant, though privacy was not guaranteed. Tomasita’s was a favorite dining spot for both locals and tourists. A prominent sign on the wall cautioned visitors about the heat of the chile, but the warning didn’t deter tourists from the scorch accompanying the generous servings of New Mexican food adorned with both red and green roasted chile peppers.
Greer brought Drew up to speed on the events of the past couple of days.
“Wow, she was lying there dying? Right there in your bedroom?” Her tone implied only a fool wouldn’t have detected Macy’s condition before it was too late.
“Gimme a break. How was I supposed to know she was there?” Greer knew she sounded defensive, but she couldn’t help it. “I told her to take it easy, but last I saw her, she was surrounded by a group of adoring fans blowing whatever she could get up her nose.”
“Hey, settle down. I was thinking how weird it must have been to wake up to find her dead. What happened when the cops showed up?”
Greer closed her eyes and recounted the events to Drew. Her call to Rick had set a chain of activity in motion, all of it completely out of her control. A team of guys she had never seen before showed up at her penthouse door within minutes of the end of her call. The men were dressed in black, each carrying a large briefcase. She started to question how they had gotten access to the secure floor, when one of them presented a note from Rick. The message on the note was simple and to the point: Let them in and leave them alone. Greer planted herself on the living room sofa and tried to ignore the men who were cleaning the suite with meticulous care. About twenty minutes later, Rick showed up. He checked their work, doled out a stack of large bills to the one who had presented the note to her, and sent them on their way, their briefcases filled with any lingering contraband. Only then did Rick call the police to report Macy’s death.
“It was surreal. The cops showed up in the same elevator as a team of lawyers from Chicago’s top law firm, hired by my label. They gave the police my version of what happened. I didn’t have to say a word.”
“Are you allowed to leave the state?”
“The lawyers said there is nothing holding me there. The cops didn’t find any evidence of a crime in the penthouse. If they decide Macy’s death was the result of foul play, they can certainly ask to talk to me, but the lawyers made it clear the cops would need to go through them.” Greer looked hard at her. “I don’t know what you’ve read, but Macy overdosed, plain and simple. I didn’t slip something into her drink in an attempt to seduce her into my bed. Macy wanted to go crazy. I tried to help her have a little fun, but she wanted more. I’m not responsible for her going over the edge.”
Drew cast her eyes down and whispered, “Sou
nds like you’re trying to convince yourself.”
Greer rose from her chair and shook a finger in Drew’s face. She almost forgot her disguise and where she was. Her anger boiled over. “I don’t need you to judge me, Drew. You haven’t lived my life. You don’t know what I go through every day.”
Drew grabbed her arm and motioned for her to sit back down. “Okay, okay. I don’t know what your life is like. You’re the one who took off and never looked back. You don’t know anything about our lives either. I doubt you even care.”
Greer noted the anger that flashed from Drew’s eyes. She wondered about the source. She and Drew had been fast friends growing up. Greer’s parents were archaeologists and had traveled the world in pursuit of new discoveries, never hesitating to leave Greer in the care of her aunt and uncle. Greer had few complaints about her childhood. Life at her relatives’ ranch had been good, but she had always hungered for more. Now she had fame and success. All the more she had ever wanted, but it had definitely come with some sacrifices. Her friendship with Drew and the comfort of family could be counted among them. At first she assumed her relationship with Drew suffered from distance, but the anger Drew exhibited now seemed to come from a deeper source than separation. She forced herself to see beyond her own troubles to find out what was fueling Drew’s rage.