The Beast of Brenton Woods
Page 17
Holding her purse to her bosom, Sarah smiled politely, reached into the bag and handed him an envelope. “Thomas asked me to bring this over for you.”
When he tore it open two keys fell onto the floor. He picked them up recognizing the Pentastar engraved on them. They were Chrysler keys and had to be for the Charger.
There was also a note in the envelope.
Scott,
Sorry I can’t make dinner. Emergency came up. Enjoy the Charger tonight, it’s in the hotel parking garage. Call me on my cell if you are interested. If not leave the keys with the hotel front desk. The documentation for the entire restoration is in the glove box. There is a reservation in my name at Pierre’s on the Avenue for six-thirty. The desk clerk at the Hotel can give you directions. Have a great meal; the bill is taken care of. If I don’t hear from you tonight I’ll talk to you next week.
Thomas.
p.s. Sarah volunteered to deliver this. I’m sure she’d be happy to join you for dinner.
Scott folded the letter and put it in his back pocket. He looked at Sarah and said, “So I guess we can get an early start on those drinks.”
Frowning, she said “I really can’t. Something came up just as I was leaving the office to come here and I have to get home. Enjoy the rest of your stay.” She turned and began to walk toward the revolving doors that opened on Woodward Avenue.
More on reflex than actual thought Scott called out, “Sarah.” She stopped, turned, but she didn’t walk back to him. Scott ate her up with his eyes as he made his way to her, hoping she wouldn’t see the eagerness in his gaze.
When he drew near, he saw her demeanor change. A defensive stare replaced her warm smile. She stood with her arms folded in front of her. She clearly wanted to leave.
“Listen,” Scott said. “I was supposed to go to dinner with Thomas tonight.”
Sarah shifted her weight back on her heels, her eyes not quite meeting his. She had the look of a woman resisting a sales pitch for a used car.
He softened his voice, “He’s made reservations at a place called Pierre’s on the Avenue. Do you know it?”
“Yes, we have a lot of client dinner meetings there. It’s very nice, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.” She answered with confident proficiency. Arranging for client dinners must be right in her wheelhouse. She seemed to relax, as though she were back at the office dealing with a mundane task to assist a client.
Scott studied her for a moment trying to get a read. They had an enjoyable lunch yesterday and this morning she seemed open to a late drink. Now she was acting distant.
“Yes, I’m sure it’s very nice but it would be infinitely nicer if you would join me.”
“I really can’t,” she said.
Her words left no room for interpretation, but her eyes responded to his compliment. Sensing victory Scott put on his best lost-puppy expression and threw another pitch.
“Listen, I’ve been eating alone in my room the past two nights. I would really appreciate some company. Besides that, you would get a great dinner on the company’s dime. Then if you’re not sick of me after we finish dessert we can go out in Thomas’ Charger and drive the shit out of it. That’ll teach the prick for standing me up. Come on, what do you say?”
“Okay, I guess I could have dinner.” Her eyes warmed a bit at hearing the way he referred to Thomas, but it was no more than a glance shared between strangers passing on the street. He could see that her mind was definitely somewhere else.
“Excellent!” Scott said. “Do I need a jacket at Pierre’s?”
She nodded.
“Shit, do you want to wait here while I go up and get one?” To his surprise, she started toward the elevator.
They said nothing on the ride up to the seventeenth floor. Just stood there like strangers, Scott thinking things were looking quite good for some after dinner frolics. Sarah stepped out first and he followed, watching her ass while she walked down the hall.
“Just there on the right,” he said.
He pulled a jacket from the closet and swung it over his shoulder, “Okay, let’s go.”
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
THE NIGHTCRAWLER
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Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three