“Kate, are you in there?” It was Sam.
“Go away,” she sobbed.
“Kate, what is going on?” When she didn’t respond, Sam’s voice dropped. Apparently, in his frustration he wasn’t able to keep up the pretense. “If you don’t open this door, I swear I’ll rip the damn thing off its hinges.” Followed quickly several octaves higher to some unseen woman standing nearby, “Killer highlights. I love the way they make your eyes pop… Kate, I’m serious. Open the damn door!”
She couldn’t let go of the walls as she was certain she would fall to the floor. Stretching her foot up, she slide the metal lock with her toe. As soon as the lock was released, Sam opened the door and kneeled down in front of her.
“What’s going on, babe?” he whispered.
Kate nodded towards the floor where her clutch purse lay. “I need my medicine,” she cried without meeting his eyes.
“Anything,” he said anxiously. He reached for her purse and found the medicine bottle. Sam quietly read the label and then opened the bottle. Taking out one pill, he tried to hand it to her.
Kate released the stall wall and started to reach for the pill, but her arm was shaking so much she couldn’t grasp it. He placed it between her lips and sat back silently. After a few moments, he asked, “Why are you taking that stuff?”
“Heartburn.”
“Heartburn?” he asked suspiciously.
“I have really bad heartburn.”
Sam slowly stood up. “Come on. I’ll take you home,” he said as he started to reach for her hand.
“NO!” Kate let out as a feral screech and moved back as far away as she could. Her reaction terrified both of them. “Please, just go away,” she choked out through her tears. “Tell Jenner I want to go home.”
“Tell Jenner?” Sam questioned with disbelief. “Kate, you aren’t making any sense. I just said I would take you home.”
“No,” Kate sobbed. “Just get Jenner, please!”
“All right,” Sam spat with frustration. “I’ll go get Jenner. We’ll be right back.”
“No, just Jenner.”
A few moments later, Jenner appeared alone. “Oh Katie, I’m so sorry.”
“I just want to go home,” Kate sobbed softly.
“Sure, no problem. Can you stand?”
“I think so.”
“Here, let me help you,” Jenner said and placed her arm around Kate’s waist.
When they walked out of the restroom, Kate spotted Sam leaning against the opposite wall. He didn’t say a word as they passed. He didn’t need to. Kate could see the confusion and hurt in his eyes.
“Call me when you get home,” he called out.
“We’ll be fine,” Jenner said reassuringly.
“You don’t have to leave. I could have taken a taxi,” Kate said weakly once she was strapped in the car.
“It was getting stuffy in there.”
“I’m sorry,” Kate whispered. Although most of her physical symptoms had resided, including the uncontrollable sobs, her eyes wouldn’t stop leaking a steady stream of tears.
“You have nothing to be sorry about,” Jenner assured.
By the time they reached the apartment and Kate crawled into bed, she had four text messages and two voice mails on her smartphone. All of them were from Sam. She managed to send a clipped, I’m fine, which of course wasn’t true. She wasn’t fine or anything near fine. She was a complete mess. Devastated and very much afraid she was about to lose the best relationship she ever had, she curled on her side. Mr. Jangles, the unruly orange kitten Sam had given her a few months ago, purred contentedly from his spot on top of her pillow. The verdict came in just a few minutes later. Fuck you too.
Chapter 3
The next morning, Kate stood in the midst of an average-sized crowd in front of the elevator bank at the forty-two-story, MMI building. MMI was one of the nation’s leading computer securities companies, and just happened to be the home of her dream job. She applied a few months ago, but just received an interview request last week. When the call came, she was ecstatic. MMI had notoriously high standards and was rumored to only actively pursue Ivy League graduates. Now, with her life in shambles, her head throbbing from a medicine hangover, Kate was reasonably certain she didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hades of landing the job. When the alarm sounded this morning, she was so dejected she almost considered calling it off, but knew she would never forgive herself so she came.
Hearing whispers and giggles from several women standing close-by, Kate turned around to see what had caught their interest. He strolled through the front lobby with an air of determined authority, and was quite possibly the most mouthwatering, gorgeous man Kate had ever seen. Strip away the designer suit, put him in a pair of tight swim trunks, wrap him up in a sand burrito, and this raven-haired Adonis had all the makings of a cologne model. The light from the sky windows reflected around him like an ethereal aura, and Kate couldn’t tear her eyes away. Entangled in an unworldly spell, as if all of time and space had been suspended for this beautiful creature, Kate didn’t realize he caught her staring at him until he stood just a few feet away. Somewhere underneath his dark shades, she felt him looking her way. She felt herself burn bright red in embarrassment and quickly looked away.
Once the elevator door opened, the crowd silently parted in unison and the man walked wordlessly towards the back. Kate patiently waited until she could get a spot in the middle. The long ride to her floor felt like it took forever. Several times, she looked down at her phone for the time, even though she had arrived thirty minutes early. It was killing her not to turn around and take one more look. Several of the other women had no such qualms and kept looking back with open interest. After several stops where some people got off and new people came on, Kate couldn’t stand it anymore. She leaned over, trying to remain inconspicuous, and caught his reflection in the brass railing. He was leaning casually against the wall, still wearing his sunglasses. For some reason that really bothered her. She leaned down again, certain she was wrong—nope, still on. Only this time, his mouth curled up in small grin as if he knew what she was doing.
Kate came to instant attention like a well-trained soldier. Now she wasn’t bothered—she was starting to get creeped out. What sort of person wears sunglasses in an elevator, and how did he know she was looking at him? It didn’t matter if he strolled straight from the pages of a fashion catalog, he was still a creeper. At the next stop, several more people came on. Kate tried to stand her ground, but was forced to step back until she stood directly in front of him. Her heart began to pound heavily. She reached for the brass railing to hold herself steady.
Stop it, Kate! You can’t do this now! she furiously thought to herself. Just as she started to reign in her insane fears, there was a conspiracy on the twenty-third floor. Everyone exited, leaving just her and the creeper inside. The doors hung open for a moment. Kate waited. Please, anyone, you can’t leave me alone with this guy, she silently prayed. The doors started to close. In a single leap, Kate crossed the elevator and pounded the open door button. She walked away without a single glance behind her.
Once the doors were closed, she turned around to consider her options. Either A—wait for the next ride up or option B—take the stairs. It was only ten floors up. Ten floors was nothing. She used to do it every morning on the stair-climbing machine. Halfway up, Kate began to strongly reconsider her choice, as she hadn’t actually been on that machine in over a year and had never once attempted to do it heels. But she persevered and arrived ten minutes early, only slightly winded and clammy. As she entered the office, she spotted the creeper chatting with the office secretary. He lingered only a minute, then turned and started towards the executive suite.
Fantastic. Now one of the bigwigs knows I’m completely insane. Why am I still here? she thought to herself.
A few moments later, a lovely, professional-looking woman came out and told her, “Mrs. Cole will see you now.”
For t
he next forty-five minutes, Kate had her strangest interview to date. It wasn’t really an interview but more like a chit-chat session. Fortunately, Mrs. Cole was very kind and set her at ease instantly, so it went better than she could have imagined.
Before she left, Mrs. Cole admitted, “It will be a few days before we make a decision, but I want to reassure you that you have been very highly recommended for the position.”
“I have?” Kate questioned with surprise.
“Straight from Mr. Montgomery himself,” Mrs. Cole said with a smile. As Kate continued to look on with a blank expression, she leaned over the desk and explained, “Montgomery, Mahon Industries.”
“Of course,” Kate rushed. “You wouldn’t be referring to Mr. Sam Montgomery?”
“He said you were very close friends and that he might be stopping over today. If you want, I can take you to his office,” Mrs. Cole offered excitedly.
“That won’t be necessary. I’m sure he’s very busy. I’ll call him later. And thank you for your time,” Kate answered politely and left.
As soon as she was in the hall, Kate pulled out her phone and texted, Thanks for scaring me in the elevator. That was you?
Just reciprocating the feeling. Did you enjoy your walk?
Loved every step of it!
Wait for me out front. I’ll be down in a few minutes.
As Kate left the building, she replayed the conversation she had with herself last night. There just wasn’t a good way to bring it up without coming out and asking him how he truly felt about her. And what if Jenner was wrong? How embarrassing would that be? Sorry, I just thought maybe you were in love with me, Kate inwardly mumbled. She half-considered pretending last night had never happened. It would be so much easier, but easier for whom? In the wee hours of the morning, after her medication had kicked in, she realized that it didn’t have to be all or nothing. Maybe Sam felt a certain way for her now, but that didn’t mean his feelings wouldn’t change over time. People fall in and out love all the time. She realized that the only way out of this would be with complete honesty.
She spotted a hot dog vendor setting up shop a little ways down the busy sidewalk. Even though it wasn’t yet ten in the morning, her stomach was rumbling in protest of her skipped breakfast. She strolled down the way and ordered a chili dog with extra onions and a large fountain drink. As she was being served, she spotted Sam walking determinedly towards her. The business suit had been replaced with a pair of straight-leg jeans, fuzzy boots, and a puffy, metallic-colored vest.
“What are you—superman? You dash into the closest bathroom, strip off the suit, and out comes this,” Kate teased.
Sam remained stubbornly silent. He pushed his sunglasses on top of his platinum, ponytailed hair. His eyes were flashing with unrestrained fury and his lips curled in disgust.
“I like the hair. Is it new?” Kate gulped nervously.
Silence.
“You know, you could have mentioned this before I walked into a building named with your initial,” Kate spat defensively.
“It was my father’s company, not mine. I only come once a quarter for board meetings, or to figure out what in the hell has happened to my best friend. I’m a trust-fund kid, but none of that is relevant when compared to your Xanax dependence,” he said coldly.
“I’m not dependent,” Kate denied, outraged.
“Everyone claims that when they have a problem,” Sam argued.
“So, if I admitted I had a problem then I really wouldn’t. How does that make sense? I already told you the doctor prescribed it for my…” Kate started.
“Right, your heartburn,” Sam interrupted sarcastically. “A condition that is commonly controlled by diet and exercise. No reputable physician would prescribe a controlled substance to someone who eats like you do. Today is just another classic example.”
“Thank you, Mother,” Kate growled and walked hurriedly towards a bench.
Sam sat down beside her. “I’ve always lived my life out loud and from the very moment we met, I was open and honest about who I am. I don’t like being lied to, Kate.”
“Then quit asking questions I don’t want to answer,” Kate retorted and then took a large bite out of her chili dog.
“I don’t want there to be secrets between us,” Sam admitted softly. “I know I sound preachy, but I’ve known too many people messed up with that stuff. Hell, I spent most of my teenage years in and out of rehab. As you can imagine, they were some of the best facilities in the nation, but it still took me years to get clean. I don’t want that to happen to you.”
“You never told me that before,” Kate whispered.
“I ran with a fast crowd. We all had more money than brains. I was a cokehead. I should have told you, but it’s not the kind of thing you mention when you’re trying to make a good impression, and besides, that’s not who I am today. I haven’t touched that stuff in years,” Sam answered.
“It’s nothing like that…” Kate denied and then groaned. “…I have panic attacks.”
“Fine,” Sam spat, sounding as if he felt anything but.
“It’s no big deal,” Kate said.
“It’s a big fucking deal to me because it happened twice in less than twenty-four hours because of me,” Sam said.
“It isn’t you.”
“Yes it is,” Sam denied. “Last night, everything was fine. Everything had been good for six months and then, out of nowhere, you completely freaked out. And today in the elevator—what did you think I was going to do to you?”
“I didn’t know it was you,” Kate said.
“But you did last night,” Sam answered. “And both times you looked at me like I was a monster. I don’t understand, Kate. What have I done? What is it about me that makes you believe you have to run for your life?”
“I’m not running. At least, I’m not trying to run,” Kate sputtered and then looked down as tears began to cloud her eyes. “I don’t always know what triggers them. They just happen. I can’t control it.”
“I get that,” Sam murmured. “Last night, you wanted Jenner. I love her and she’s a great lady, but she isn’t exactly Miss Responsibility, but you wanted her and wouldn’t let me help you. Why?”
“It’s…” Kate started but stopped. Waving her hand in front of her eyes and taking deep breaths, she tried desperately to halt the impending sobs. Hadn’t she cried enough last night? If she didn’t get herself together, she was going to get dehydrated. She fumbled through her purse for a tissue. When she couldn’t find one, she looked up and saw Sam was holding out a napkin. Kate reached for it and grasped Sam’s hand, locking her fingers between his. “When I’m having an attack, my brain shuts down. It feels like my heart is going to burst, and I’m being crushed by a ton of bricks. I can’t think rationally.”
“Have you seen a cardiologist?” Sam asked, sounding very concerned.
“No, why would I?” Kate questioned blankly. “The doctor said it was a panic disorder.”
“I think you should get a second opinion,” Sam said.
“And have a bunch of unnecessary tests run? Currently I am uninsuranced, and unlike certain people I know, I don’t have a trust fund to pay for it,” Kate challenged.
“A problem that will be eliminated in a few days,” Sam retorted.
“There is a six-month waiting period before benefits start,” Kate recited MMI’s policy.
“That will be waived.”
Kate smiled as she wiped away the last remnants of tears from her cheek. “What is this—reverse medical discrimination?”
“No,” Sam said quietly. “This is just a friend who cares for you more than the world, and I happen to hold your health and wellbeing very dear to my heart.”
“Yeah, that’s something I wanted to talk about…” Kate started nervously, “…last night before I had the attack, Jenner and I were talking, and she said maybe you feel a little more for me than just a friend.”
“And?” Sam questioned, unfazed by her re
velation.
“Do you?”
Sam’s eyebrow cocked with challenge. He started to smile, but his expression fell flat. “Don’t ask me questions neither of us wants me to answer.”
“Sam…” Kate started, but he put his finger on her mouth to silence her.
“It’s fine. I already told you.”
“I think we should start seeing other people.”
Looking perplexed, he answered, “Are you breaking up with me? When the hell did we start dating? And, why wasn’t I informed?”
“You know what I mean,” Kate said. Looking away, she dabbed her leaky eyes with the rumpled napkin. “I don’t want you waiting for me to change because I won’t. I just want you to find a woman who can give you everything you need.”
Sam reached out for her jaw and gently turned her face until she was forced to look at him. “The next time you say that to me, I want you to look at me while you’re saying it. Until you can, I won’t listen to a word of it. Besides…” his lips curled in a smirk, “…I’ve been seeing to my own needs since I was about ten years old. I’ve got that department under control.”
“Oh my god,” Kate chuckled miserably. “What if the perfect woman is out there waiting for you and you don’t find her because you’re wasting time with me?”
“Don’t,” he said harshly. “I haven’t wasted anything. Don’t do this,” he pleaded. “Stop worrying so much about who I should be fucking or who I want to fuck. That is a waste of time. I don’t want to see anyone else, not when I can be with you. I want what we have.”
Chapter 4
Sam was being very cautious. As much as Kate admired and respected his position, she very much wished he would stop treating like she was his ninety-year-old aunt he was visiting in a health care facility, minus the overly loud speech to compensate for the loss of hearing. Jenner was nearly as bad.
Two days later, while they were all hanging out in Kate and Jenner’s apartment, Kate received notice that she was being hired. Although ecstatic and thrilled, Kate wasn’t exactly surprised.
Hook, Line, and Garter (Bitches and Queens) Page 3