“Alright, Davis, looks like we might as well head back on this one,” the lady officer says.
“Well, we’ll leave it to you, then,” the man says. “Good luck.” He puts his sunglasses down over his eyes and enters his own cruiser. They both back up and pull away from the Point Dume beach entrance. When I look over to Gloria, she’s beaming at me.
“I can’t lie,” I say. “I’m impressed.”
“You’ll start to learn, too,” she says, “if you open up a little.”
She could be right about me, but I’m still more concerned about where my man is.
My man? I must be tripping.
“So now what?” I ask. “He’s not at the hotel, he’s not in the car. Have you heard from Mae Lin?”
Gloria looks to her phone and shakes her head. “She texted that there’s no sign of him and no sign of Jill.”
“I honestly don’t know where else he would be,” I say. I wish I did, but we haven’t exactly gotten around to talking much. The physical tension between us was atomic, and I assumed we’d get around to getting to know each other soon enough.
“Catch,” she says, tossing something to me.
I open my hands, and by luck I catch the object—car keys. The keys to Denver’s car. Does she expect me to drive his Mercedes Benz? That’s downright preposterous.
“Meet me back at the mansion,” she says.
“Wait, wait,” I stumble. “Why don’t you drive this and I’ll drive your car?”
“Technically, they’re both Denver’s cars,” she says, “And I’m contractually—”
“—Contractually obligated to never drive this car?” I finish, to her excitement.
“Now you’re getting it,” she smiles.
“I can’t drive this car,” I say. It’s a definite fact.
“It’s easier than you think,” she says. “Welcome to the family.”
She turns to walk through the sand and down the empty lot back to her car without turning to look at me once. With Gloria backing out of the beach, I’m left here all alone—just me, the ocean, and Denver’s car. I graduated from Le Cordon Bleu, I’m not supposed to be driving a billionaire’s deserted vehicle out of the sand and back to his mansion while he’s missing the morning after making love to him. I’m Tara Rogers from Cleveland—this kind of thing just isn’t supposed to happen to me.
*****
The beach is desolate, and I can’t believe I’m seriously about to drive Denver’s very, very expensive car. Looking inside, I can at least relax when I see that it’s not a stick shift. I might have had to call a tow truck.
I shut the hood, the trunk, and the three other doors before getting into the driver’s seat. Inside, it smells brand new. He could get a different car every week with the money he’s got. I find it strange that there aren’t even any lifeguards here. Am I missing something?
Putting the key in the ignition, something feels wrong about this. I haven’t signed Denver’s little contract yet, so am I allowed to drive this? Instantly the sirens go off in my head—Tara, I think, the last chef was POISONED.
Something in me starts to believe in the likeliness of this car blowing up when I turn the ignition over, and I quickly open the driver side door and jump out into the sand. Hustling to my feet I try to run as far away from the car as I can. With all of my heart I anticipate an explosion that will send me off my feet—but no sounds come except the whisper of the ocean, and no feelings come except for its cool breeze against my skin.
“Seriously, Tara,” I say aloud. I look up to the sky and feel the urge to drop down on my knees and cry, but right now I need to be stronger than that. Why haven’t I just tried calling Denver myself? I take my phone out of my pocket and realized since I stepped foot in the mansion this morning, I’ve been around the other girls. The thought never even crossed my mind.
I look for his number in my recent calls because I haven’t even bothered programming him in yet. Without a moment’s thought I click the number and the screen switches to call mode. With the phone up to my ear, I hold my breath while it rings. Two rings, three—I count seven altogether and finally it stops. Did someone pick up? There’s no voicemail prompt.
“Hello, Denver?” I say.
“Tara, I’ve been waiting for you,” a voice says.
It’s Denver.
“Denver?” I say, nearly stuttering. “Where are you? Are you okay? Did someone kidnap you?”
“Relax,” he says in a calm voice. “I’m safe. You’re safe. We’re both safe. That’s all that matters.”
How can I relax? Does he not realize that there’s an outright manhunt going on in his name right now? “Denver, everyone has been looking for you,” I say, trying to stress the severity of the situation.
“I know that, Tara,” he says. “I’m able to track everyone I have on contract. They know that.”
I don’t know what to say to that. Does that mean my phone’s bugged? I haven’t signed anything yet.
“Listen to me,” he continues. “I want you to get in the car and drive. Head north on the PCH and I’ll guide you from there.”
“Denver, this is crazy,” I say. “Jill, Gloria, Mae Lin, they’re worried about you. I’m worried about you.”
“If I told you that I was waiting for you, would you come for me?” he asks.
“Of course I would,” I say. Standing in the sand, my feet are now covered in the stuff.
“I’m waiting for you,” Denver says.
“The car’s not going to blow up?” I ask. I have to clear the air. I’m afraid here. He laughs on the other end.
“No, the car’s not going to blow up,” he says. “Please, just come see me. I need you. Right now.”
“There’s one thing I need to know first,” I say. It’s the one thing ringing the alarm in my mind.
“What is it?” he asks.
“Who is Danielle, and how did she die?” I know that deep down I don’t even want to know the answer.
“Danielle…” he whispers. “Danielle was a very dear friend and employee. She was poisoned, killed. She was my previous chef.”
“And you don’t know who poisoned her?” I ask.
“No, I don’t. It was a terrible loss. Please come to me and we will talk about it, Tara. Together, in person.”
The ocean is on my left, the Mercedes Benz is in front of me, and a cliff of jagged rocks sits to my right and behind me. I could drop the phone in the sand, take the car, find my way home without it, and forget all this. Why is he pulling me further and further down? Why would he have gone through something so elaborate just to get me alone?
“Okay,” I say. “I’m on my way.”
*****
Driving the Benz is like walking on air, and on the vast California road there is nothing more freeing than cruising with the windows down, my thick hair frizzed and swirling about. Gloria expects me to drive back to the mansion. Won’t she come looking for me? And what about the police?
I voice all of my concerns to Denver—he stays with me the whole time on speakerphone, giving me directions. “Don’t worry about them,” he says smoothly. “Everything will be taken care of. I’m currently announcing my status to everyone online, and the vehicle will be spoken for. I will tell Gloria that I urgently needed it and told you to bring it to me at once.”
“What happened? Why was the car out there on the beach? Did you just leave it there so I could conveniently get it and come to you? How did you get where you are now? Where are you now, anyway?”
“I realize you have a lot of questions,” he says. “But they will all be answered in due time. It will all make more sense after we can see each other.”
“You just want to fuck me again,” I say, keeping my beaming smile silent. He doesn’t respond for a good minute.
“I was hoping that we could be together again, Miss Rogers, yes,” he says, fumbling like I’ve got him off guard. “But there are some other matters to sort out as well. Paperwork, for example.”
“Oh, right, the contract,” I say. I’m tired of hearing about this thing. “I’m not so sure I want to serve life like the rest of your girlfriends, let alone be together again.” For some reason I feel like mocking him is the only power I have right now. It’s childish, but it feels good. Just because I brought up sex doesn’t necessarily mean that I want it.
One should never assume, Denver, I think.
“Okay, that’s perfectly understandable,” he says. “I can see why you might be frustrated after this morning.”
“Frustrated? You don’t even know the half of how I feel. Used. Cheap. That’s just to start.”
“I’m sorry, Tara,” he whispers.
“By the way, you still didn’t tell me what happened,” I say. “Managed to slip by that one, Denny.”
Now his minute-long silence is unbearable. Maybe I’ve said too much—it wouldn’t be the first time the old Rogers mouth cost me a man. I don’t want it to cost me this man, though.
“There’s no excuse for what is going on. I know that. Maybe we should cease chitchat until you arrive. Would you prefer that? No communication at all?”
I must have hit a sore spot with him. Okay, he’s a talker, I note. Or does he just like to listen to the sound of his own voice? “Yeah, maybe we should just stop talking period,” I say. Why am I acting like this? It’s not like I’m going to stop driving to him, and if I were really upset or whatever it is that I’m revealing I’d turn right back around.
“Maybe that’s best,” Denver says. I didn’t expect him to agree with me!
“Look,” I say, trying to make up for lost minutes. “I’m just in a weird state of mind.”
“I understand,” he says. Nothing else. He’s really taking this seriously.
For the rest of the drive he tells me exact directions so that I can get to him, but nothing else. I tell him when I’m stopped by a red light or other traffic obstacles, but other than that it’s just quiet awkwardness. After an hour he’s guided me with little direction until I have to get off the exit for Simi Valley. I’ve only been this far northwest in passing, and have for years admired the beautiful dirt and stone of the light brown canyons, and greens of the mountains. California can be so lovely, which is something I often forget in the bustle of the city.
As I exit the freeway, Denver guides me down neighborhoods and around curvy turns, through a path of modern, out-of-my-price-range homes and finally I’m parked at the curb on a normal looking, urban street. This is the last place in the Golden State where I’d expect to find my sexy billionaire.
“You sure this is the place?” I ask, looking to my right at the old-fashioned house. It’s a diamond in the rough in this neighborhood, but still many, many steps down from the mansion I expected.
“I’m sure,” he says. “Nobody knows about this place. I bought it in secrecy, and as soon as you come inside you’ll be the only guest I’ve ever had here.”
Okay, so despite all the mixed feelings I’ve had today, that statement really makes me feel fuzzy inside. This man had better not break my heart, so help me.
I get out of the Benz and feel weird hitting the clicker to beep it locked. Walking up the stone pathway to this quaint, yet expensive, blue house, my heart beats faster than it did before I showed up to his mansion before the interview—even faster than before we made love last night. And that was record breaking.
Approaching the front door, I feel dumb because I’m not sure if I should knock. I mean, he’s expecting me, right? Probably staring at me right now through one of the windows. I exhale, realizing that I’m going to have to play along.
Knock. Knock. Knock. I do it slowly and deliberately, trying to message how irked I am through the sound of my hand against the door. Why isn’t he answering? I wait for about five minutes before trying the handle only to find that it has been unlocked this entire time.
I push the door forward and it’s so well oiled that it doesn’t creak at all. Inside his house I feel like I’m stepping into a different universe entirely—one where I would never expect a man like Denver to exist, or at least exist in my orbit. All of the furniture is throwback and the lighting is low with red and pink colored curtains creating a hazy glow all over the entire place. Also, the smell of lavender permeates the place. I shut the door behind me, locking it. Even though he left it open for me, locking all doors to keep myself safe is an old habit of mine.
“Denver, you can come out now,” I say. I’m not in the mood for games, I just want to see with my own eyes that everything is okay, that this whole morning has just been a wonderful mess of events. I can put everything in the back of my mind if I could just lay my eyes on him.
“There you are,” he says, even though I can’t locate him visually yet. “You’re just as stunning as ever.”
I turn to my side and see him standing at the foot of a stairwell. It’s old wood, shined wood with white paint beneath each step and a white railing. “As stunning as always?” I ask. I look at my phone to add to the joke. “You’ve known me like, what, five days now?”
“Point taken,” he says. “I just mean that when I look at you sometimes it feels like I can’t breathe, and it’s been like that since I walked into your restaurant.”
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the same way. He casually leans against the railing, wearing old beat up jeans and a plain, worn black tee shirt. The blue of his eyes penetrates me through the haze of the room, as if calling me closer. Damn you, Billionaire Blue Eyes, I think, slowly taking my first step toward him.
“Tell me everything,” I say. With my senses overwhelmed by his seductive interior, I imagine myself getting thrown onto his bed, taken for hours. You’ll get to that, Tara, I assure myself. But first this man has some explaining to do.
“Tell me everything,” I say. “Start with where you went last night and don’t leave out a single detail.”
Even though I want to keep moving forward until I’m within his arms reach so that he can pull my top off, I stop in the center of the room. I have to show him that I’m strong, and I can’t allow myself to indulge in pleasures if there is something going on beneath the surface here that could endanger me.
“You deserve that,” he says, his eyes fixed on the floor at his bare feet. “Come to the kitchen. Allow me to pour you a drink. I won’t leave out a single detail.”
Without turning to look at me, he takes the two steps down to my level, turns, and exits down a corridor where I’m assuming the kitchen is. I wonder if he’s hungry, because I’m starving. Maybe to ease the tension I’ll cook us both some breakfast while we drink and he tells me his story. He’d better have some decent herbs and spices in this place. If not, I’ll have to change that.
*****
“I had to leave after we were together because there was an essential business matter that I needed to attend to. Before leaving, I made sure that you were asleep, of course. I held you in my arms until you fell asleep, and kissed you on your forehead approximately seven times before releasing you, reluctantly, from my arms.
“You were amazing last night, Tara. What I experienced with you is something that’s been buried in me, something I’ve never been able to share with anyone. I hope you can understand something like that. I have fantasized, dreamed, imagined of being with a woman like you, but last night you made all of that a reality.
“And I don’t mean just a woman of color—a woman with the thick, adventurous, prideful and yet vulnerable soul that you have. I saw it in you when you were sitting on the stairwell smoking that disgusting cigarette. I wanted you right then. I hope you felt it as strongly as I did.
“However, you must know that my business is important to me. It is something that I have to prioritize, even though I don’t always want to. My life depends on the success of PaeroTech more than you might understand. This is why when someone like you walks into my life, it is insane of me to jeopardize everything just for a night with you.
“I need it to be mo
re than one night, Tara. And I tried to tell that to you. I meant it. Some words I can’t say. I don’t know how. Intellectually, I can make billions—emotionally, I’m not so sure. When I get a text in the middle of the night that my business might fold beneath me, I have to drop what I’m doing. No matter what. Even if I’m with the woman that I’m madly in love with.
“What I found out when I got to the office was terrible news, that one of my close friends and partners, Martin O’Leary, stole some very valuable software that was supposed to go live this week so that he could start his own company. The software was initially his idea, and he didn’t like the route that I took with it, and now it could cost me everything.
“I trusted a lot to this man, only for him to turn around and stab me in the back. He used my name and success to fund his project and now that he has what he needs, not only is my investment gone, but also my future. And now let me answer two of your questions from earlier with one answer.
“You asked me about Danielle, my previous chef, and how she was poisoned. Danielle was a close friend, as well. She was the only chef I ever had. And to answer the heart aching inside you: no, I was never with her. I was never with any of my employees, even Jill, who is in love with me. They are all in love with me, Tara, but I didn’t want it to be that way. I hired them professionally, and they work professionally. Yes, I have a strong rapport with them because I need them and depend on them. But you are the first woman I have been intimate with in years. I know you may not think it, but to a man like me that means a lot.
“I know that in your head you’re doubting every word I say. Just let the wine course through you. What you’re cooking smells delicious. I prepared for your arrival by stopping at the farmers’ market. You know that I love my eggs scrambled white with spinach and I’ve never even told you.”
One hand on the pan, one hand on the spatula, Denver stands behind me, placing his soft lips to my neck with a quiet pucker. I’ve waited for this for so long. Touch me, baby, I think.
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