Wanted: Girl I Once Met

by Sonja Gunter

  No, god damn it.

  He was going to make Rane part of his forever.

  Chapter 35

  Taking the jump-drive from her computer, Rane stepped around her desk and spotted the note from David lying on the floor. Damn him anyway. Picking up the disgusting note, she crumpled it and shoved the wad into her pocket not wanting to deal with it or the emotional roller coaster of curiosity.

  Heading down the hall, she forced herself to focus on the agenda and managed to arrive on time. Richard’s relieved look gave her ego a boost of self-assurance. Taking charge, she had the group effectively working on projects that were long overdue.

  During one of the morning breaks, she took a moment to text message Val.

  David called.

  You told me.

  Val’s response came back quickly.

  No, today at work.

  Scum bag.

  Val’s way with words made her smile and she sent a reply.

  What should I do?

  Remember we have lunch at eleven-thirty.

  Where?

  Her buzzer went off signaling the end of the break before Val’s reply came through. She switched her phone to ‘meeting’ and slipped it into her pocket.

  Richard had excused himself almost as soon as she arrived, leaving her in charge of the meeting. At first, she’d been a little surprised, but she realized he must’ve felt comfortable with what she was doing to up and leave. Talk about a confidence builder. Before she and the group realized it, her buzzer went off again.

  “I want to thank everyone for all the hard work you’ve done this morning. I know it’s lunchtime and it is Friday.”

  Hearing some remarks about not coming back, she added quickly, “I would like all of you to remember how hard we’ve worked. After lunch, we’ll meet back here just long enough to table any items we haven’t gotten to until next week. Just like you, I’m ready for the weekend.”

  The group laughed and applauded on their way out. It wasn’t a lie. She had an unquenchable appetite for Mark. She so wanted to get him back into bed. She was craving the feel of his lips and the unforgettable orgasms he’d given her. She’d been tempted all morning to excuse herself and wander into his office, secretly hoping they’d end up in his private apartment.

  The group thinned out so she took out her cell phone. Val’s reply was waiting.

  Your place.

  It figured. Val loved the company’s cafeteria. It had everything she could want, and she loved the coffee bar.

  Rane checked the time, almost eleven-thirty, then headed straight to her office and waited for the receptionist to let her know she had a guest.

  Val hated to wait. It was a lawyer thing since sometimes verdicts weren’t reached immediately. In addition, some judges took matters under advisement before ruling on them. So when it came to everyday things, she couldn’t handle delays.

  Rane putzed around her office. Her stomach growled reminding her she hadn’t had breakfast. Between sneaking out of Mark’s house, rushing to get to work on time, her morning encounter with Mark and then her meeting, she hadn’t had a spare minute all morning. When the phone did ring, she jumped a little and told Karen to send her lunch date up. The elevator bell went off quicker than she expected and she bent down to grab her purse from the bottom drawer.

  “Ro?”

  She popped up so fast she hit her head on the desk’s edge.

  “Ouch!”

  She hesitated a second before opening her eyes. When she did, she blinked fast, thinking she was seeing things or she’d hit her head harder than she originally thought.

  It wasn’t Val standing in front of her desk as she’d expected. To her shock and disbelief, David stood smiling at her.

  “David! What are you doing here?” she gasped out.

  “I sent you e-mails. When you didn’t respond, I thought I’d come see you in person.”

  Unable to say anything more, she struggled to take in what was going on. She hadn’t seen nor heard from him, except for the recent emails, in over three years. Now, when she’d fallen in love for a second time in her life, he showed up to complicate things. She sat staring at him with her mouth open.

  “You’re a sight for sore eyes, baby doll. You’re looking fantastic.”

  She continued to sit and stare at her ex-husband. He hadn’t changed much. Some gray hairs mixed into the blond ones and he had the beginning signs of wrinkles around his eyes. It gave him a certain look of distinction and made him more handsome than she remembered. Her pulse quickened but instead of feeling a whirlwind of love and desire, she felt a mixture of hatred and disgust.

  “My little Ro, I want you back,” David said.

  His soft tone was laden with desire, the one she well remembered. It meant he wanted to have sex. In the past, she would’ve jumped at the opportunity, as was expected of a good wife.

  Anger swept over Rane, giving her the power she needed. “No! No! Get out of here. I don’t want to see you,” she cried out.

  “But, baby, don’t get upset. Let me explain,” David urged.

  She watched as he moved around the desk blocking her path.

  “No!” she shouted and raised her hand to stop him.

  This time she took a little more time to study him. His eyes showed loneliness and sadness. Life in the fast lane had taken its toll on him. He was so different from Mark.

  “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. We are divorced. I’m so over you.”

  “But Ro—”

  “No, stop! Oh yea, you lost me years ago. There’s no turning back the hands of time here. You might be able to do it on your patients’ faces but you can’t on peoples’ emotions. Now get out of here!” Her voice rose, emphasizing the last sentence.

  “Do we have a problem here?”

  Hearing Mark’s commanding voice, her blinding anger faded. Their eyes met. Her knight in shining armor was blocking the door and ready to take charge.

  “This is a private matter,” David said and turned. “Close the door on your way out.”

  Mark raised his hand toward Mrs. Weber, who stood a few feet from him, then pointed his finger at David.

  “You, sir, are someplace you shouldn’t be. Ms. Schoen has asked you to leave. I think you’d better do as she says,” Mark said quietly, gesturing to Philip and the other security guards who were now standing behind him.

  David turned to her. “Tell this man to leave, Ro.”

  Rane cringed at his sickly sweet tone. She knew what it meant and almost opened her mouth to do as he’d instructed when another voice entered into the conversation.

  “David Moore, get your sick, abusive, two-timing ass away from Rane. If you know what’s good for you, you’d better leave, or I’ll stick you with a court order at your expense,” Val said calmly.

  She barged past Mark, the security guards, and a stunned Rane and stood nose-to-nose with David.

  A classic OK Corral standoff. No one said or did anything. No one was going to back down.

  “Mark, give me a moment. Val, please wait outside too,” Rane said, taking control of the awkward situation. David wasn’t going to know what hit him when she was done with him.

  “I don’t—” Mark began but Val cut him off by taking him by the arm, then leading him out of the office and closing the door.

  Gathering her courage, Rane took charge. “David, I don’t know you anymore and you don’t know me. I’m not the little obedient wife anymore. I use to dream of hearing you say you wanted me again. I waited and waited for you to come back to me but you never did. As much as I would have liked to hear those words years ago, they don’t mean much to me now. I’ve moved on. I have a life now that doesn’t include you or your memory.”

  “But, baby�
�”

  She closed her eyes not wanting to listen and said, “I don’t love you anymore. Now please leave me alone.”

  When she opened her eyes, she saw disbelief on David’s face. He opened his mouth but before he could she simply said, “No! Now go, before the police have to take you away.”

  She watched as David stormed out and was met by Philip and the security guards who led him toward the elevators.

  Val rushed in. “Are you okay? Tell me now, should I file a protection order?”

  “No. I think I’ve seen the last of him,” Rane said in a shaky voice.

  She saw Mark beyond Val. His face was taut and his jaw was clinched. His obvious concern touched her in a way she’d didn’t think possible.

  He nodded, turned, and walked away.

  “Oh, Val, what just happened?”

  “You slammed David up against the wall. Not literally, but just as good as if you had. Just say the word and I’ll make sure he never comes within twenty feet of you again,” Val said and hugged her best friend.

  “You know what? It was gratifying but sad at the same time. Man, I need a drink. Maybe we should have a liquid lunch.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  “I can’t really, you know. I have a training session to finish up. But let’s go eat.”

  Val laughed, dragged her out of the office, and headed down to the cafeteria. Once there, she ordered Rane a Marble Mocha Macchiato.

  “This is surprisingly good! I can’t even taste the coffee,” Rane said, thankful she could finally tell Mark she’d tried his coffee.

  “Do you think my chances with Mark are over now?” she asked Val.

  “Hell no! You should’ve seen the anger on Mr. Wall’s face. You have him wrapped around your finger. You’ve landed yourself a hunk.”

  They laughed and began to eat their lunch. The rest of their lunchtime went quickly and they said their goodbyes. It wasn’t until they separated that she realized she’d forgotten to ask Val to cat sit Thor for her.

  Suddenly as she entered the elevator a sliver of doubt sipped into Rane’s happiness. Could Mark have been turned off by the confrontation with her ex-husband when he’d walked away without saying anything? Had she ruined her special weekend before it actually started?

  Chapter 36

  Mark swiveled in his office chair as a knock sounded on the door. “Come in.”

  “Mark, I wanted to let you know I turned Mr. Moore over to the police for trespassing,” Philip said, closing the door behind him with a click.

  “Thanks. I tell you, Philip, that man is a number one fuck! Call in some favors and make sure he doesn’t get out for a day or two.”

  “Sure, anything else?”

  Mark hesitated and then asked, “Rane’s ex called her Ro. Do you think there is any possibility Rane is the girl from the plane?”

  “There wasn’t anything in her reports that would lead me to believe she is.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” Mark ran his hand through his hair and stood. “Just make sure the plane is ready.”

  “Okay, no problem.”

  He watched Philip leave and thought he’d seen him smile. Maybe he had enjoyed the morning’s excitement. Now he had some special plans to make. Four o’clock wasn’t coming fast enough for him. He glanced at his watch. Philip had called several times to confirm the flight plans and limo arrangements. Mrs. Weber had completed her calls to the house staff in order to get the villa ready for their arrival. All was in place but he was missing the main person, Rane.

  Finally, Mrs. Weber called to let him know Rane was on her way to his office. He was ready for her when she appeared in the doorway.

  “Hi, I’m finished for the day,” she said hurriedly, as if not sure what she should say.

  “I-I’m sorry about my ex-husband. I haven’t heard from him in years. It was a shock to see him, and I can’t believe he showed up here.”

  “As long as you’re okay, I’m okay.”

  What he didn’t tell her was that Philip had taken measures to ensure her ex would never threaten her or them again.

  “Yea, Val is going to file some orders of protection.” She paused then said, “I want you to know I don’t have any feelings for him and haven’t for a long time.”

  “I didn’t think you did. Now, no more talk of your ex. I’ve been planning a special weekend for us.”

  He took her hand, ushered her fully inside his office, and closed the door. Never letting go of her hand, he imprisoned her in his arms, giving her a kiss as if there was no tomorrow. He felt her tense at first, and then her body relaxed, responding to his searing kiss with a matching demand. He kissed her with all the passion he had inside him and reached to unbutton her blouse to release its hidden treasures.

  Ending the kiss, he led her to the couch where they landed in a heap. They broke out in laughter still wrapped in each other arms. His heartbeat matched her racing heartbeat.

  “Do you really think your memo will work?” she teased and moved away from his tempting embrace.

  She recalled the email about doors being closed and laughed. The memo was so like him, to simply implement an order to solve a problem.

  “It had better! If anyone enters my office when the door is closed they will be fired!”

  “Off with their heads.”

  They laughed at the joke but it was a relief knowing no one was going to interrupt this moment. She snuggled up closer to him and unbuttoned a couple of his shirt buttons. Sliding her hand inside, she stroked the hairs on his chest, and tugged at his nipples.

  Reluctantly, he stepped back. “As much as I would enjoy making love to you right now in my office, we can’t. Plus, we need to discuss the plans I’ve made for the weekend.”

  Seeing he had her full attention now he continued. “We are going to fly to Florida tonight and stay at my villa on Marco Island. We can stop at your apartment so you can pack some clothes.” His voice took on a huskiness tone as he added, “Not that you will need any clothes. I plan on keeping you in bed all day and night.”

  Rane gasped at his unexpected announcement.

  Florida for the weekend!

  Mark sure did know how to impress someone. She’d thought they would spend the weekend at his house. Something simple. She didn’t like to spend money on extravagant things.

  Then it hit her in the pit of her stomach.

  That was the old Rane’s way of thinking. David had created that dull person.

  This was the new her. She found herself becoming exciting thinking about going away for the weekend with Mark.

  “That sounds thrilling. What time does our flight leave?”

  “Whenever we are ready to go. We’ll be using my private jet.”

  “Ohhh. I love Marco Island. I use to have my grandma take me there when I would visit her.” She headed toward the door. “Well? What are you looking at, let’s get going.”

  Laughing, he gave her a fast kiss.

  “I’ll be by your house in about an hour. Will that give you enough time to pack?”

  “We could leave right now under two conditions. One, I have time to call Val and ask her to watch Thor, and two, that you allow me to go shopping for some clothes and other items once we land,” Rane said.

  The old Rane was gone. She wanted to take chances like she had when she was younger. She had enough money to do what she wanted when she wanted. She had saved all the money David was paying as part of the divorce agreement. Mark was showing her what it felt like to be free and have fun.

  “Are you sure? If we leave now, I can arrange for the mall to stay open late for us. Would you want all the stores to be open or only the department stores?”

  “Mark can you move mountains, too? Only one of the department stores wo
uld be fine. I could pick up everything in one store. You are amazing!”

  “Great, it’s settled. We’ll leave from the office. Give me your car keys. Philip can arrange for your car to be driven to your house.”

  Seeing Rane pick up her briefcase, he called out, “Oh, be sure to leave the briefcase in your office. We are not going to be doing any work this weekend.”

  Mark followed Rane to her office, then watched as she held up the box and the rose.

  “We will need to talk about this.” Rane placed the necklace in her purse and, still holding the rose, allowed him to escort her to the elevators.

  As the doors shut he kissed Rane and surprisingly saw a handful of employees staring with mouths open. Mark smiled, put his arm around her, and for the first time he wasn’t worried and didn’t care what anyone thought. Being president of the company had its advantages.

  Chapter 37

  Settled next to Mark in the limo, Rane couldn’t believe she was on her way to the airport going to Florida. She’d actually agreed to this craziness. She’d wanted an escape but this was outrageous.

  Val was going to die when she told her.

  “Are we going to Florida? Tonight?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay I was just checking. You know this is insane, right?”

  As if he sensed her nervousness, Mark took her hand. Rane listened as he described his home in Marco Island.

  She was sure he’d failed to mention most of the house. She’d been to Marco, and the houses on the Gulf were huge. To Mark, his house was probably simply a house and all the extras were nothing.

  Their hands remained entwined until they reached the airport and rushed out to the waiting plane. She should have known Mark didn’t do anything small. She’d been expecting a small four-person plane of some sort, not the plane that they entered. The jet was large enough to have belonged to a commercial airline.