by A. L Long
“Excuse me, but can I get a towel?” she asked, pulling me from the effect her beauty had on me.
Babbling incoherently, I said, “Umm, yeah,” as I walked over to the soft blanket that was draped over the back of the couch. It was the only thing I could find in a hurry that still allowed me to keep my eyes fixated on her.
As she turned around I wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, allowing me to get a better look at her. One thing that I did notice was the tiny tattoo she had on her neck, just below her hairline. It was some sort of symbol with two S’s. One was right side up and the other was connected at the bottom and upside down. Curious as to what it meant, I asked, “What does your tattoo mean?”
Taking hold of the blanket and pulling it tighter around her, she replied, “I need to get dressed,” before walking away and heading back to her room.
I knew my mouth was wide open with awe. I could only imagine what she might have thought about the way I was looking at her. Trying to forget about how much of an ass I just made of myself, I went back to what I was doing and tried to forget about the whole thing. Yep, this was definitely going to take some doing on my part to tame down my desire to take her.
CHAPTER FOUR
Juliette
Finishing my wonderful shower, I looked everywhere for a towel, but there weren’t any in the bathroom or the bedroom. The only option I had was to find Ash and ask him where they were. The look on his face was priceless. I had no idea that my nudity would have such a profound effect on him. I did have to admit it was kind of sweet the way he grabbed the blanket and draped it over me. The chance of him seeing my tattoo was something I forgot about. Having it for as long as I had, it was a part of me now, something that I would never be able to erase.
Looking at the time, I knew I had better hurry if I wanted to make it to work on time. At least that was what I called it. It was more like a living hell. The upside was that it allowed me to have my days so that I could finally make a home for myself. Tonight, as awful as it was going to be, would give me enough money to fix my car and buy the additional items for the house to finish the repairs.
Quickly getting dressed, I headed back to the kitchen where I knew Ash was. As I left my room, the smell of something wonderful filled the air. I wasn’t sure how good of a cook he actually was, but whatever he was cooking smelled divine. The minute I got to the kitchen, I couldn’t believe what I saw. The table was dressed like something you would see in a fancy restaurant, aside from the cloth napkins. Unable to understand what all the fuss was, I walked over to where Ash was standing, opening a bottle of wine.
“You do know that I have to be to work in less than two hours,” I pointed out.
“I do, but steak always tastes better with red wine. And besides, one glass isn’t going to hurt,” he answered.
Taking a seat at the beautifully displayed table, I did my part and placed my napkin on my lap, and waited for Ash to bring the dinner he prepared to the table. I had to admit that the way the food looked on the plate, he was probably a better cook than I was. Waiting until he was settled in his chair, I picked up my glass of wine and proposed a toast. “Here is to a wonderful meal prepared by an amazing guy.”
Nodding his head, his mouth angled into a breathtaking smile that made my body tingle. It was at that moment I could feel a slight wetness between my legs. I wondered how many other women melted whenever he smiled. Taking a bite of my steak, my lips wrapped around the fork, my taste buds were dancing with delight at the wonderful treat they were given.
“Oh my God, Ash, this is amazing,” I said with delight.
“I knew you would enjoy it. One of the many things I enjoy doing is cooking,” he confessed.
“And what would be the other things you enjoy doing?” I asked.
“Aside from helping a beautiful woman in distress, I like fishing and camping, hanging out with the guys. What about you, what do you enjoy doing?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. It had been so long since I had enjoyed anything. The last thing I remembered was hanging out with my friends at the swimming pool. I remember my mom telling me that one day I would be on the Olympic team. If she knew what my life was now she would have a heart attack. As far as she knew I worked nights at a distribution center. If that wasn’t a bad enough lie, I told her that I was a shift manager. It would kill her if she knew what I actually did at night.
“I guess that was too personal,” Ash commented.
Looking up at him, I took my napkin from my lap and wiped it gracefully across my lips. “It’s not that,” I began, taking a breath. “I just can’t remember the last time I enjoyed anything. Seems the only thing I have been doing lately is work. And everyone knows that work is very seldom enjoyable.
“So what is it that you do?”
I knew sooner or later that question would be coming up. Lowering my head so that he wouldn’t be able to read my face, I answered with a controlled voice, “I work at A&J Distribution center.”
“Really! The one just outside of New York City?”
“Yeah, that’s the one,” I replied.
“I didn’t think it was still open,” Ash countered.
I was glad my head was lowered. If he had seen my reaction, he would have known that I was telling him a lie. As far as I knew it was still open, but I hadn’t checked it out in a couple of months. I needed to say something. “Nah, they’re just going through a transition. Anyway, I better finish getting ready.”
Pushing from the table, I needed to get away from this conversation. The last thing I needed was to share too much information with him. The less he knew about me the better it would be. Dodging the bullet, I made it to my room. I had everything that I needed to take laid out on the bed. One thing about my so-called job, I was provided with nice things to wear. Placing the midnight blue beaded gown on top of my shoes and make-up case, I made sure not to get it wrinkled. I zipped up my bag and sat on the bed until I was ready to go. As I sat on the bed and waited, I must have pulled my phone out at least a dozen times to look at where I was supposed to go and the best route there from the distribution center. The only thing that I needed to worry about was what I was going to say to Ash if he was right about the center and it was closed.
Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I opened the door to my room and headed to the main part of the house. Entering the living room, Ash was sitting on the couch looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows. Placing my bag on the hard floor a little more forcefully than I needed to, I was able to at least get his attention. Walking over to him, I looked out the window and took in the beautiful sight. “No wonder you love it here. This view is amazing,” I confessed.
“Yeah, my grandpa knew exactly what he was doing when he built this house forty-some years ago. With all the work I’ve done to this place, one thing I would never change is this magnificent view.” Pausing a moment, he turned to me and asked, “Are you ready to go?”
Walking over to where I left my bag, I put it over my shoulder and followed Ash through the kitchen and down the stairs to his truck. As I got into the truck, it dawned on me that there was a transit stop just outside the city. If I could convince him to drop me off there, then he wouldn’t go directly to the distribution center and see that it was closed. That was my only hope.
As we drove down the dirt road to the main road, my cell began to vibrate in my pocket. Pulling it free, I looked down at the screen and recognized the number right away. I knew I couldn’t answer the call and chance him finding out who I was talking to. Instead, I sent a quick text and placed my phone back in my pocket. I was thankful that Ash didn’t question who I was texting. Getting to the main road, I took a deep breath and said in no uncertain terms. “You can drop me off at the bus stop. It’s not far from the distribution center. This way you don’t have to drive all the way into the city.”
“Don’t be silly, Jules. I need to go to the shop anyway,” Ash confessed.
“Shop?” I questioned.
“But that won’t be until early in the morning. I can take a cab or something back.”
“No can do. Put this number in your phone. Call me when you’re close to getting off and I will come get you.
I could feel my throat tighten as I took my cell from my pocket. The hole I was digging was getting bigger and bigger. There was no way out of this. As Ash rattled off his number, I entered it into my phone. When I finished with all seven numbers, I decided to look up A&J Distribution to see for sure what kind of pickle I was going to be in. When the link came up, I quickly clicked on it to find that I was saved. It appeared that someone had purchased the center about six months ago in a large takeover. I let out the breath I was holding and looked to the sky, thanking God for answering my prayer.
Finally getting to the distribution center after what seemed like the longest ride of my life, I reached for my bag, which I had placed in the back seat, and opened the door. Looking over to Ash before I closed the door, I asked, “Are you sure you don’t mind picking me up? It could be later in the morning.”
“Jules, I’m sure. Don’t stress.”
“Okay, I’ll call you then.”
Closing the door, I began walking to the front door at a turtle’s pace, hoping that Ash would be out of sight before I darted in the other direction. When he was out of view, I made my way back to the main street, where I knew I could catch a transit bus into the city. It wasn’t long until a bus showed up. Trying to calculate the time, I estimated that I would have about twenty minutes to get changed and ready for my job.
Sitting on the bus, I thought about what would happen tonight. Even though the money would be good, there was still that small chance that something could go wrong. I never knew what would happen or what my night would consist of. The way I was feeling, I hoped it wasn’t going to be too extreme. Looking out the window, I waited for the bus to pull over to my stop before gathering my bag. Once I stepped off, I looked up at the Mandarin Oriental and took in its magnificence. This would be the first time I had ever been here, but from what I heard, a lot of diplomats stayed here.
Entering the big hotel, the first thing I needed to find was the restroom. No way did I need to be caught looking the way I did when my master showed up. Looking around the lobby area, I finally spotted the women’s powder room. “Powder room” was something I hadn’t normally seen. This place must be really upscale. Pushing open the door, an elderly lady was wiping down the counter with a white towel. Looking over to me with a smile, she asked politely, “Is there anything I can help you with?”
Walking closer to her, I said softly, “Is there a place where I can change?”
This must have been some place. Never had I seen a bathroom attendant, at least that was what I guessed she was. With a smile still on her face, she held out her hand. I wasn’t sure what she wanted so I placed my hand in hers. With her other hand, she covered her mouth as if embarrassed and said, “No, Miss. I meant to take your bag.”
Pulling my hand from hers, I handed her my bag, feeling a bit like an idiot. I began to follow her until she stopped in front of a wooden door. Standing in front of the door, she set my bag on the floor, then reached inside the pocket of her crisp white apron and pulled out a set of keys. Opening the door, she picked up my bag and placed it on the small bench that was inside the room. I wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but when she didn’t move, I knew she was waiting for a tip. Unzipping my bag, I pulled a five dollar bill from my wallet and handed it to her. Before she could take it from my hand, I said to her firmly, “If you watch my bag and don’t let anyone take it, I will triple that tip.”
Nodding her head, she replied, “It would be my pleasure, Miss.”
Letting go of the bill, I closed the door and unzipped my bag. Pulling out the dress I had carefully placed on the top, I shook out the wrinkles and slung it over the door until I was ready to put it on. I knew that this was an important night and I had to be on my best behavior if I wanted to get paid top dollar. Just like every other time, I knew the only way to get through this was to take my thoughts away from here to another place.
Slipping on my dress, I looked at myself in the full length mirror to make sure nothing was hanging out that wasn’t supposed to be. I had to admit I looked pretty good. Touching up my make-up with what I had packed in my bag, I was as ready as I would ever be to tackle what was in store for me.
Opening the door to the dressing room, I handed my bag over to the attendant and exited the powder room. No sooner than I opened the door, I heard his voice. “You look lovely, pet. Are you ready to play?”
CHAPTER FIVE
Ash
Despite dropping Juliette off at A&J Distribution, I was still not buying that she worked there. Driving around the block, I had to see for myself if what she said was actually true. Even though it looked to be in operation, I knew the minute I saw her that she was no more an employee there than I was her brother.
I stayed close to her until she hopped on the transit bus. You wouldn’t think that a person could lose sight of a bus, but I did. I had no idea where it was headed or even its route. I wasn’t even smart enough to get the number of the bus that was usually painted on the back in big black letters. Knowing that I had at least eight hours before she would be calling me to pick her up, I decided to head over to the shop and see if I could find out anything about the routes of the transit buses. If anything, at least I would be better prepared to follow where she would end up.
It was close to nine o’clock when I arrived at the shop. I knew that the guys left hours ago, giving me a chance to do some uninterrupted research. Opening the door to the shop, it didn’t surprise me that Peter’s office light was still on. Heading in that direction, I wondered what he was doing in the shop so late.
As I peeked around the corner, he looked to be heavy in thought, with his hands cupping his head. Knocking lightly on the door frame, I waited until his head lifted and he saw me. Walking into his office, I placed my hands on the back of the chair in front of his desk and asked hesitantly, “What’s up, Peter? You’re here late.
“You are going to find out soon enough. You might want to take a seat for this,” he offered.
Walking around the chair, I sat down and waited for Peter to tell me what was on his mind. I wasn’t sure how to read the expression he had on his face. It could have been a look of confusion, or maybe skepticism. Either way, Peter looked out of sorts.
“By the look on your face, you are having a hard time digesting whatever it is you have to say,” I shared.
“After what I have to tell you, you are going to think the same thing,” he started. “Do you remember the mission we had in Nicaragua?”
“Yeah, I remember. Even though I stayed behind, I remember the mission,” I replied.
“Well, something has come up in the States; here, to be exact. And it gets even worse. I don’t know all the specifics yet, but by the sound of it, it is pretty bad.”
“No matter how bad it is, Peter, you know we are able to handle it. Jagged Edge Security always comes out on top.”
Leaving Peter’s office, I headed to the conference room to do a little research on another problem. One with a tight little ass and a drop-dead gorgeous body. Booting up the conference room laptop, I waited for it to come to life. Pulling up the Internet, I typed in ‘MTA bus transit.’ Just like that, the link I needed was at the top of the list. Clicking on the link, it led me to another link. I didn’t realize that the bus transit had so many routes. Finding the one I needed, I clicked print and waited for the map to print.
The search took all of a few minutes, giving me plenty of time to do some more research on my gorgeous, but mysterious, neighbor. The one thing that bothered me the most was her tattoo. She was hesitant to let me know what it meant, so the best way for me to find out was to research it myself. As I typed in d
ouble S, images began to appear. Finding the one that looked exactly like Juliette’s, I finally knew what it meant, “Ownership.” My next search was going to be on Juliette. Since I now knew her last name, I typed Juliette Daniels in the search engine and waited for something to come up. Nothing of value showed, at least nothing that I didn’t already know. Pulling up the data software, I knew it would give me more information than what I would get on the Internet. It was the best software out there to find out the truth about a person, past and present. I entered the needed information, most of which I guessed on, and hoped for the best. The program was going crazy when it finally stopped. There, plain as day, was a mug shot of my Juliette. She looked to be only in her teens in the picture, but it was most definitely her. What I couldn’t understand was how someone that seemed so wholesome could have a police record. Scrolling down the page, I tried to find out more, but when I tried to click on the link to open the criminal record history, I kept getting, ‘This page cannot be displayed’ in bold letters. There could only be one reason for this. All of her records were sealed and only a person with authorization could open them.