Ribbon of Steele: A Romance of Suspense

by Jq Allan

  "Thanks Nic, it's not you," said Lizzie, trying to smile as she got up from her chair. "I'm going to the museum opening this weekend," she said as she touched Nicole's shoulder and walked slowly towards her bedroom.

  "Lizzie, are you ok?", Nicole yelled from the living room.

  "I'm fine," said Lizzie as she closed her bedroom door.

  Lizzie collapsed on her bed. Why hadn't Mackenzie told her about going back to Steele and Wickes?Doesn't he know that I would be excited for him.Lizzie rubbed her temples with her fingertips. She didn't want to admit it, but Nicole was partly right about seeing Sam again. She sat on the edge of the bed, stared at the stack of unhung pictures, and thought about Sam. She loved Mackenzie, but something inside of her wanted to see Sam one more time.Was the museum just an excuse?Her time with Mackenzie was perfect, and yet he was holding back. She thought back to their conversation when Mackenzie had spoken about his parents.When you love someone, you tell them everything.She laid her head carefully on her pillow. Her head began to throb and her heart ached at the decision she was about to make.

  25

  The day of the meeting, fall weather finally had arrived. Leaves blew in swirls around the grounds of Pemlilly, and the air had a crispness not felt the day earlier. Mackenzie put an overcoat over his suit and stepped out of the door. James had brought the Duesenberg around, and he entered the back seat without a word.

  His brain was swimming about the meeting, especially since he had been unable to get together with Anderson to discuss the terms beforehand. He thought about canceling it, but figured it must have been Anderson's way of keeping a low profile. He had tried to think of every angle Wickes might play to keep him from taking his post at the top. He had been grateful that Lizzie had agreed to meet him for lunch, and he was looking forward to seeing her face and hearing her soft voice.

  He hadn't told her the details of what was happening and wasn't sure why. When he thought about it, he really wanted her to see him as normal. Normal people weren't involved in the leadership struggles for a billion dollar company. Their relationship was innocent and fun, and he wanted to keep it that way as long as possible.

  Still, she was the person he wanted to tell the most. She had seemed a bit off this week. He resolved to talk to her today at lunch and to tell her about his business deal. He knew she would be happy for him, but also knew it meant he would be spending a lot more time working. It was inevitable. Still, in his heart, he knew Lizzie would understand why he had kept it from her.

  Today, many things would be set straight. He would have a great lunch with an amazing woman and then go get his father's company back.

  He straightened his tie and smiled as the Duesenberg rolled out of the Pemlilly gates.

  ***

  Lizzie reached the restaurant a little early. She felt butterflies as she sipped her water and waited for Mackenzie. He arrived at exactly noon, and smiled as he spotted her from across the restaurant. He looked extremely handsome in his suit and Lizzie took a long breath as she watched him cross the room towards the table.

  "You're here early," he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. Lizzie managed a smile.

  "It's good to see you. Today is crazy and I really wanted to talk to you about something," he said softly.

  "I need to tell you something first if you don't mind," she said staring at the table. "Mackenzie, I don't know what this is. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. It's been amazing and thrilling and it feels like I have been holding my breath the whole time."

  Mackenzie was smiling at her as she continued.

  "I thought I was starting to know you, but now I'm not sure." She continued to look directly at the table in front of her. "After going through hell, I'm scared to trust anybody, and you make it way too easy. It seems you have a destiny to follow and I just don't know." She paused and sat in silence for a moment. She didn't want to see his face. She knew he wasn't smiling anymore. She could feel tears building from behind her eyelids, but continued. "I just feel like I have changed so much, and I love the person I am when I'm around you. I have gotten over so many fears, Mackenzie. You have no idea. But you, you don't have any fears." She lowered her voice. "I want to see you. I want to know you, but Mackenzie, you blindfold me every time we make love. It's like you don't want me to see you, or know who you really are." She had planned to tell him that he had hurt her by not telling her about Steele and Wickes, but stopped and didn't say anything for a long time. When she began again, it was barely audible. "I just think it's best if we stop seeing each other."

  She was numb, not even believing the words exiting her mouth. She stood up from her chair and walked briskly towards the door. Mackenzie had not said a thing. She could hear him breathe, but he didn't interrupt. His silence had made it much harder. She hadn't planned on breaking up with him, but the voicemail from Sam and and her conversation with Nicole had left her unglued. She was shivering and realized that she had left her coat at the restaurant.There is no way in hell I'm going back. Hailing a cab, she jumped inside and disappeared.

  ***

  Mackenzie sat at the table for several moments after Lizzie had departed. He watched as she left in tears and disappeared outside. "I love you. What I wanted to say was that I love you," he whispered quietly.

  He spotted the shawl she had left behind and reached over to pick it up. Placing it to his nose, he inhaled. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and shoved her shawl into his messenger bag with his documents. He rose from the table and walked out of the restaurant dejected. He checked his watch. He had an hour until the meeting, and needed to clear his head. He decided to walk to the Steele and Wickes building.

  Setting off on foot, he tried to think about the meeting, but his thoughts kept turning to Lizzie.Why was she afraid? What did he do wrong? She had said that she had to get over fears of being with him. He kept turning it over and over in his mind, trying to get an answer. Couldn't she see that he was scared too?

  He continued walking, deep in thought. An hour later, he found himself in front of the Steele and Wickes building. He quickly shook his head from side to side, trying desperately to get Lizzie Fox out of his mind. It was Friday afternoon and office staff trickled out of the building, trying to get an early start on their weekends.

  Mackenzie entered the elevator, and pushed the button for the top floor. He felt the stares of people around him, but didn't turn to acknowledge any of them. He hardened his face and began to prepare for the meeting with Wickes.

  The elevator chimed, and the doors opened on the top floor of the building. Mackenzie was immediately brought back to his youth. This was the area where he had visited his father growing up. Wickes had done some serious redecorating in the last ten years, and the opulence of Wickes' tastes could be seen in the marble columns and rich oak paneling seen everywhere in the top floor office suite. Six large office doors led from the large marble floored room. At the end of the room was another set of large oak doors.

  Mackenzie slowly crossed the room, his shoes echoing on the marble tile. The offices on each side were all lit except one. Mackenzie looked for a name on the door but there was no name tag.

  He had hoped to run into Anderson prior to the meeting, but it looked like a dim hope at this point. In front of the oak doors sat two leather chairs and a large secretary's desk. The desk was empty and Mackenzie sat in one of the leather chairs to wait. He looked at his watch. It was exactly 1:00 PM and he wondered if he had the time right.

  He decided to review his papers before the meeting. He reached into the messenger bag to remove his papers, and his hand touched Lizzie's shawl. He took a deep breath and pushed past the fabric to retrieve the black folder his father had provided.

  At 1:05, the large oak doors of the office opened and a large man in a pinstripe suit emerged.

  "Mackenzie," the man said with a smile. "Thank you for joining me today. Do come in."

  Mackenzie rose from the leather chair, and walked into the office. Large windo
ws reached from floor to ceiling and Mackenzie could see that little expense had been spared in the decoration of the office. All around the office, artwork adorned the walls with the signature piece being a nude renaissance painting hanging across from a huge desk.

  "Sit down," the man said casually. "Can I pour you a drink?", he asked, not waiting for a response before refilling his own glass.

  "No thank you, Mr. Wickes," said Mackenzie politely.

  Wickes looked back at Mackenzie and noticed the black folder sitting carefully in his lap. Frowning, he turned back to his desk and opened his own copy of the folder.

  "Will Anderson be joining us?", Mackenzie asked, trying to keep his tone casual.

  Wickes didn't look up from the folder as he answered. "No he won't. Let's just say Mr. Anderson no longer works for Steele and Wickes," said Wickes cooly.

  Wickes paused for a long moment for effect.

  "Mackenzie, here is what I would like to do," said Wickes as he closed the folder and smiled. "I would like to make you Chief Strategy Officer at Steele and Wickes. I'd like you to travel, meet people, and report back to me every few months on ideas you have to expand our business.You would have access to our company Yacht, a handsome salary and wouldn't be tied down to a desk job all day."

  Mackenzie looked at Wickes without expression.

  Wickes continued his speech. "The yacht is beautiful, and with the sleeping arrangements on board, you wouldn't have to change your lifestyle at all," said Wickes with a wink. "So, what do you say to Rio in the springtime?"

  Mackenzie took a long pause and collected himself before speaking.

  "Mr. Wickes, we both know what is held in the contents of these folders. I came here to talk about the succession plan. Are you prepared to talk about this today or do we need to reschedule," said Mackenzie trying to match Wickes level of condescension. Wickes sat back in his chair and studied Mackenzie. When he spoke again, he started quietly but grew louder as he continued.

  "Mackenzie, I was in this company when you were still fucking cheerleaders. Don't try to cross me boy or you will get a lot more than you bargained for. I don't care what that little folder says, this company is not yours. If you do work here, it will be on my terms and because of my good graces and not because of your fucking father," shouted Wickes as he stood from his desk and pounded his fist. Mackenzie's blood was beginning to boil and he reached into his bag. His hand touched Lizzie's shawl and he took a deep breath.

  Mackenzie stood and calmly glared back at Wickes. For the first time all day, Mackenzie felt calm and in control. He rose from his chair and stared directly into Wickes' fiery eyes. At that moment, Mackenzie knew exactly what he needed to do.

  26

  Lizzie arrived at the museum and checked into the hotel. Flipping off her shoes, she collapsed on the bed and pulled the itinerary from her gift basket. Her hotel room had been upgraded to a suite and she was handed a VIP badge when she checked in. She smiled, knowing it was the work of her design professor, Dr. Fordham. The gift basket had nuts, wine, cheese and every piece of marketing material the museum provided. Lizzie picked up the wine bottle.

  Great, I can get drunk by myself later if this goes badly.

  She wondered if Sam had checked in yet, and felt an uncomfortable queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Looking at the alarm clock, she realized she still had an hour until the meet and greet cocktail party. She quickly slipped into a black cocktail dress, and checked herself out in the mirror. Nicole had picked out the dress and had said that if she was going to be near Sam, she might as well make him jealous.

  The dress hugged her hips, and her hair fell upon her shoulders in long loose curls. She gave herself a satisfied glance in the mirror, but again felt her anxiety begin to build from within her stomach. She decided to take a walk around the grounds to clear her head.

  Luckily, the museum was just a short walk from the hotel and the weather had remained warm. The property was perfect for the design of the building and the six story structure seemed to blend into the nature around it. The entire building was modeled after the forest, and Lizzie recognized many of subtitle ideas that she and Sam had worked into the design. Everything from the roofing material to the color of the glass, blended into the woods around it. Sitting close to the lake, the glass caught reflections from the water and looked even more stunning. The landscaping was natural, and followed the natural hills and curves of the land. At the end of the path was the lake and two long docks. Normally, they were a home for two unkept rowboats, but today they acted as airports as high profile guests and their chartered seaplanes used the lake as a landing strip. Lizzie had driven here and then taken a ferry to the docks. With the party starting shortly, the buzz of the seaplane engines was replaced by a calming quiet.

  As Lizzie walked the path, she remembered how much she missed being outdoors. She came to a bend in the path by a carved wooden bench, and took a moment of pause. She felt a chill. This had been the spot where Sam had proposed to her.Why did I come here. I am such an idiot.She felt a sudden feeling of loss as she remembered how happy she had been on that day. She tried to put the thought out of her head as she stared at the building.

  Lizzie stood for a long while in thought and began to remember the long arguments she had with Sam over flooring choices and ceiling fixtures. As she looked at the building, she realized that he had won almost every argument they had ever had. She had come here to view the museum, but now she had wondered why she had come at all. She noticed guests beginning to queue at the main entrance and she checked her phone. Her stomach felt weak as she removed the VIP badge from her clutch and walked slowly towards the building.

  Maybe I should just go back to the room and crack open that bottle of wine.

  "Lizzie!", came a voice from the front of the line.

  Lizzie strained her neck to see who had called her name.

  "Dr. Fordham!", Lizzie said smiling as she saw a small woman in a black suit coming towards her. Dr. Fordham's grey wiry curls seemed to bounce on her head as she quickly headed in Lizzie's direction.

  "My darling, VIPs don't wait in the rear of the line," she winked, grabbing Lizzie's hand and escorting her past a man in a tuxedo collecting tickets.

  "Beautiful isn't it?", said Dr. Fordham looking up at the ceiling. The building had been Dr. Fordham's design, and Lizzie had never seen her happier. "See your design there," asked Dr. Fordham pointing to the groups of translucent stained glass leaves that made up the ceiling.

  Lizzie smiled broadly. This was her favorite part of the museum, and she felt a sense of pride knowing that a part her had made it into the final design.

  "It never gets old dear. It never gets old seeing your work displayed for all to see," said Dr. Fordham with a smile. "And Lizzie Fox, I hear a congratulations is in order," said Dr. Fordham happily while clapping and grabbing two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter.

  "Congratulations?", Lizzie asked blankly.

  "Oh, you career driven girls are all the same," said Dr. Fordham as she handed Lizzie a glass and winked.

  Lizzie stared at her blankly.

  After a moment, Dr. Fordham giggled and responded. "On your wedding my dear! I hear you and Sam will be tying the knot." She laced her fingers together and looked at the ceiling. "Just to think this museum brought together two people and kindled their love...it's remarkable."

  Lizzie felt incredibly awkward. Clearly, Dr. Fordham had not heard about the breakup.

  "Actually," said Lizzie looking at the floor, "we are no longer together."

  Dr. Fordham looked confused. "But Sam just told me ...," she started.

  "What did he say?", Lizzie asked surprised.

  Dr. Fordham hesitated, clearly not wanting to be in the middle of this discussion. When she answered, it was in a slow and quiet tone.

  "He told me you were engaged, happy, and planning an exciting honeymoon on the beach," said Dr. Fordham biting her lower lip after she finished.

  "Thank y
ou doctor, but your information is incorrect. I'm sorry." Lizzie paused. "There is someone I need to find. Please excuse me for a moment," said Lizzie as she walked towards the large staircase in the back of the room. She was livid and in shock.What the hell. I can't believe that jerk. Walking up the stairs, she gazed into the room to find Sam. Halfway up the stairs, she peered down to see Dr. Fordham talking with three men in tuxedos. They all looked at the ceiling, and then all looked at Lizzie.

  She continued to scan the room for Sam, and spotted him near the bar. He was talking to an older gentleman who was very interested in the details he was pointing out in the room. Determined, Lizzie made her way through the crowd and caught his eye just after he had taken his first sip. His eyes lit up.

  "Lizzie," he said happily. "I was hoping you would come. I would like you to introduce Mr. Clay Adams from the investment firm Barnaby and Adams," he said with a wink. He took a step towards her to kiss her cheek. Lizzie held out her hand in front of her face, and Sam got the hint.