by Jessie Cooke
Isabelle heard the man on the stage introduce the string quartet and then announce that they would be playing while the waiter's circulated with the food. Isabelle was glad, because by that time she'd finished that fourth glass of champagne and her stomach was beginning to protest. She was also having thoughts that probably shouldn't be in her head in such a public place. She had begun to wonder what her chances were of taking Alex into one of the empty conference rooms in the hotel and having hot, nasty sex with him. She heard the sound of Daniel's text tone. He pulled it out and glanced at it, shot a quick text back and then while her eyes were still on Alex and her thoughts still on all the things she'd like to do with him and to him, Daniel said,
“Hmm, I'm not sure what you're thinking, but I like that look.” His lips were close to her ear and the vibrations of his voice and warm breath caused her to flinch slightly, and then it got worse…she felt his hand slide over underneath the table and brush against her leg. She moved it, quickly, but the lustful smile was still pasted on his face and his eyes kept flitting to her lips. She picked up her champagne and downed what was left in the glass. As she set it down and then looked back at Daniel, she knew that she had made a huge mistake. Not only should she have never come here with him, she certainly never should have drunk so much. Her head was beginning to feel foggy and her thoughts jumbled. She wasn't a big drinker…but four thin flutes of champagne shouldn't have had such a big effect on her either. Maybe it was just the anxiety of the situation, coupled with the alcohol and the fact that her stomach was still empty. Either way, she had to grasp onto enough clear thought to convince Daniel that she wasn't interested in him like that.
“I was just thinking about how beautiful this place is,” she said. What she wanted to say was that she wasn't going to sleep with one of her bosses, drunk or not. But with her already on such shaky ground with Kelly, that might just be career suicide. She would just avoid the subject and before the evening was over, she'd tell him she had a headache and take a cab home…alone. The headache part wouldn't be a lie, it was beginning to pound. She looked back at Daniel and realized that he reminded her a lot of Darryl, if Darryl was rich and better looking.
“Is it your first time here?” he asked.
“Yes.”
His smile grew even broader as he said, “You should see the suites upstairs, the beds are huge.” He said it in a whisper that she'd bet money he thought she'd find seductive. “And they're so comfortable. And the bathtubs are…” The waiter was suddenly at her shoulder. She was so relieved that she wanted to kiss him. Her head was beginning to spin. She was really hoping that some food would help. She leaned back in her chair, away from Daniel, while the waiter set their plates down in front of them. Daniel turned his attention to his own plate and she was breathing a sigh of relief at the reprieve when she looked down at the prime rib on hers. The sight of the large piece of bloody meat arranged in the center of the white plate as the red liquid pooled around it, pushed her past her limits and the alcohol in her belly rose up and began to burn the back of her throat. With some effort she pushed back her chair and said, “I need to use the ladies room.”
“Are you okay?” Daniel asked, getting to his feet. She wasn't okay. She felt hot and dizzy and she was sure she was going to throw up any second. She had been given morphine once at the hospital when she was a teenager and she broke her finger. She was allergic to it, and it had made her feel like she did now. She wanted to throw up. She wanted to lie down. She wanted to die.
“I'm fine,” she forced out. “I just need to use the ladies room.” She stood up, too quickly. The room began to spin and if Daniel hadn't taken her by the arm, she may have hit the floor. She felt his other hand slide around her back and suddenly their bodies were touching. There was something hard in the front of his trousers and she was sure it wasn't a flashlight. She pulled away from him and her body swayed.
“Let me help you,” Daniel said, again, too close to her ear. He slid his arm around her waist and with his hand on the naked small of her back, he steered her away from the table. She felt so sick that for a few seconds she forgot about Alex and Kelly and she wondered if Alex had noticed her abrupt exit. She was focused on that thought when it suddenly dawned on her that Daniel had walked right into the ladies’ room with her.
“Uh, Daniel…I don't think you're supposed to be in here.” That was the last thing she remembered before her world went black.
20
As Alex and Kelly walked back to take their seats, the first thing he noticed was that both Isabelle and Daniel were missing from the table. Their plates sat untouched. He held Kelly's chair for her and as he slipped into his he asked the man sitting next to him, “Did you notice where the couple next to you went?”
He could feel Kelly looking at him and only imagine the look on her face. She was acting like they were a couple again and Alex was realizing what a big mistake he'd made coming here with her tonight. “I heard her say she had to use the ladies room.”
“Thanks.” Alex wondered why Daniel was gone too. He was lost in his thoughts when he heard Kelly saying,
“I did not order prime rib. Do I look like I eat red meat to you?” He looked over to see that a nervous, young waiter with wide eyes and a nervous tic underneath his right eye was standing next to her.
“I'm sorry, Miss Valentine. I'll get your salmon right away.” Kelly didn't even acknowledge him as he picked up her plate and started toward the kitchen with it.
Alex sighed. He was done with this night already. He'd actually been done with it the second he saw Isabelle holding onto Daniel's arm. Why was she with that guy? He was so obviously a player. Kelly wouldn't even sleep with him. He focused all that anxiety and anger on Kelly as he snapped, “It's not his fault. Do you have to always be so rude?” His tone didn't faze her. She picked up her phone and he watched as her fingers flew furiously over the keys. She had stood next to his parent's table texting too. He hated that, and she knew it. “Who are you texting? Since when do you carry your phone around at a social event like an adolescent?”
She slammed the phone down on the table, face up and glared at him. She obviously had some anger of her own she needed an outlet for. “Maybe since you started acting like the hired help was more interesting than your date.”
His anger intensified. She wasn't talking about the waiter and that pissed him off, but the way she'd said, “hired help,” like Isabelle was so far beneath her was what really pissed him off. How many times did he hear someone refer to his parents that way, with an attitude that insinuated they were better than his hardworking mom and dad? “Are you talking about Isabelle?”
She didn't deny it, instead she said, “What is it about her that fascinates you so? You haven't seen or talked to her in three months and you're still practically salivating every time you look at her. It's sickening, and you're embarrassing yourself. How do you think your behavior looks to all of these people?”
Alex chuckled and said, “To tell you the truth Kelly, there are only three people in this room whose opinions matter to me.” He stood up and said, “And guess what? Yours is not one of them.” He started to walk away, but something she said was bothering him. He turned back to ask her about it when her phone chirped. His eyes automatically followed the noise and even though she reached for it quickly he thought he saw Isabelle's name. He looked at Isabelle and Daniel's empty seats and back at Kelly. “Where are they?”
“Where are who?” she asked. “Sit down, you're making a scene.”
“Where are Isabelle and Daniel?”
“How should I know?”
“Let me see your phone.”
“You've lost your mind.” Alex didn't ask her a second time. He reached down and grasped her hand and squeezed it until she let go of the phone. She was right, people were staring, but he didn't care. He pressed the center button on her phone and the text conversation with Daniel reappeared. The first one was from her to him. It said,
“Do it
already. I'll tell Martin she was ill and had to leave early. I should have never had you bring her here.”
“I might not even need to, she's downing the champagne as fast as she can.”
“Don't take chances. Do it and then get her out of here before she passes out. I swear, I'm about to scratch her eyes right out of her head.” Alex didn't realize he was holding his breath until he read Daniel's last reply,
“Lol, you can stop worrying. She won't bother you again tonight.” Alex's breath came out in a rush when he looked at Kelly and said,
“You bitch!” All eyes were on them now, but he didn't notice. “Where the fuck is she?”
“How dare you talk to me that way?”
Alex had never lain a hand on a woman in anger in his life, but he reached for her. He wasn't sure what he would have done if his bodyguard, Mike, who had been lurking in the background all night hadn't stepped in. “Mr. Romaletti, maybe we should take this outside?”
Alex was staring down at Kelly. He was in some form of shock. How could something so pretty, be so evil…and why didn't he see it sooner? What the fuck is wrong with him? He gave Kelly everything she wanted and then he handed Izzy over to her, and now… “Mike. They did something to Isabelle.” Mike looked at him blankly. He had no idea who Isabelle was. He didn't have time for this. “Where is she, Kelly?”
“I still don't know what you're talking about,” she said. “God, they're taking pictures. This is going to be all over the society papers and the tabloids. You've lost your mind.”
“Hey man, what's going on?” Alex turned to see Levi standing behind him.
“Levi! Thank God. She's done something to Isabelle, her and Daniel. We have to find her…”
“Whoa, okay…come with me, okay?” As Levi physically led Alex away from Kelly, Alex heard his mother's voice. “It's okay,” Levi told him. “Keep walking, Mike's there.” Levi led him out of the conference rooms and into the alcove that led to the bathrooms. “Take a deep breath now and tell me what's going on…”
“Shit! Her phone! We should have grabbed Kelly's phone.”
“Alex, man, I need you to focus and tell me what's happening.”
“I need to find Izzy! She was here, with Daniel Montgomery, the guy that works with Kelly. Then she disappeared, and I saw text messages on Kelly's phone, they did something to her and he told Kelly she wouldn't bother her any more tonight!”
“Okay,” Levi took out his phone.
“Who are you calling?”
“Give me a sec, okay?” Alex felt like his heart was going to explode right out of his chest. He couldn't breathe. Would Kelly actually hurt Isabelle? He had no idea. He suddenly felt like he didn't know her at all. “Yes, this is Levi Grant. I need to know if Mr. Daniel Montgomery has been picked up yet.”
“Who are you talking to?”
“The valet,” Levi said. Alex was usually calm in an emergency…but, the idea of anything happening to Izzy was too much for his head to process. He hadn't even had a chance to get to know her yet. “Okay, thanks.” Levi ended the call and said, “His limo hasn't picked him up, or anyone, according to the valet, so let’s find out if maybe he has a room here.” Alex was grateful for Levi's calm head. He went with his friend to the front desk. He knew that he was too emotional, so he stood back and let Levi do the talking. Levi smiled at the girl behind the desk and said, “Hi, Lisa.” It was clearly written on her name tag, but she smiled as if Levi had thought of it all on his own.
“Hello. How can I help you?”
“I'm sorry, can I ask you a personal question first?” Alex resisted rolling his eyes.
“Sure.”
“I know this is probably not appropriate, but you have the most beautiful color eyes I have ever seen. I was just wondering if they're contact lenses?”
She giggled, blushed and said, “No sir, they're mine.”
“Wow,” Levi said. “Stunning.” Alex would normally enjoy watching him in action, but he was growing impatient again. He tapped his foot…loudly. “Anyways,” Levi went on, without taking his eyes off the young woman. “I need a favor. I found my friend's phone on the table in the conference room. I thought he'd left for the night, but the valet tells me his limo hasn't picked him up. Can you tell me if he's registered here?”
She looked around. The Plaza was strict with their privacy policies…but Levi's charms won out. Her fingers were poised on the keyboard in front of her as she said, “Sure, what's his name?”
“Daniel Montgomery.” Alex held his breath again while they waited. When she stopped typing and said,
“Yes, Mr. and Mrs Montgomery are in room six-nineteen.” Alex was already pushing the button for the elevator when Levi caught up. Mike was suddenly right behind him as well. None of them spoke until the elevator opened on the sixth floor and then Mike said,
“Maybe you should let me handle this, sir?”
Alex ignored him. He was halfway down the hall when Levi said, “Alex. At least let me or Mike knock on the door. If he looks out and sees you, or hears your voice, he's not going to open the door.”
Alex almost couldn't contain the hiss of rage that was now surging through his veins. But, Levi was right again. With his fists balled at his sides, he stepped up against the wall next to room 619 and motioned at Mike. Mike knocked on the door. When there was no answer right away, Alex motioned at him again. Mike knocked again and said, “It's maintenance sir. Someone reported a water leak.”
“There's no leak in here.”
“I'm sorry sir, I have to check. Can I come in, just for a second?”
They heard a huff of anger and then stomping toward the door. It was pulled inward and Daniel Montgomery stood there, in nothing but his boxer shorts. Alex didn't wait to ask questions. He was too angry and he had to let some of it out or it was going to kill him. Mike barely stepped out of the way before Alex's fist connected with the side of Daniel's face and sent him reeling backwards into the room. He fell on his ass. Alex stepped in the room and was about to pick him up and hit him again when he saw Izzy. “You motherfucker! What did you do to her!”
Daniel looked dazed and there was blood running out of his nose and across his lips. “Nothing, she's just drunk…”
“You lying piece of shit!” Alex's fist connected with the side of his head that time and again knocked him to the floor. Daniel cried out and curled up into a fetal position, holding his head as Alex raced over to the bed. Izzy was breathing, that was the first thing he checked. As that relief washed over him, he saw the gown she'd been wearing earlier draped over the back of the chair by the bed. He jumped up to go after Daniel again, but Levi stepped in between them then and said,
“I think he's had enough, bro. Mike is outside calling security. They'll hold him until the police get here. You need to concentrate on taking care of Izzy right now.”
“If he touched her…”
“I know man, I'll help you. But right now, let's see if the hotel has a doctor on staff to look at her, okay?”
Alex was too angry to speak…and scared to death that Daniel had violated her in some way. He went and sat next to her and held her hand while Levi was on the phone. He could hear Levi talking to the front desk and then all of a sudden he heard him say, “Who are you?” Alex looked over toward the door where a beautiful redhead was standing, looking into the room, stunned. When her eyes found Daniel on the floor she said,
“I think I have the wrong room.” She turned to leave, and Mike stepped in her way. Levi stood in her way on the other side.
“You don't have the wrong room, do you? Who are you and why are you here?”
“I work for Daniel…well, I work at Ragged Beauty. He asked me to meet him here. He had a side job for me.”
“A side job?” Alex said, standing up and going back over next to Daniel. “What's she talking about?” When Daniel didn't answer him, Alex kicked him. Practically in tears Daniel said,
“Don't hurt me anymore. This was Kelly! It was all Kelly.
I just gave Isabelle a mickey, that's all. It'll wear off soon and she'll be fine. I was supposed to take pictures of her with me…and Monica. Kelly was going to use them, to make you lose interest in her.”
“Oh my God…” The level of Kelly's evil just kept going deeper. He looked back down at Daniel. “You didn't fucking think this was a bad idea? You're a fucking COO of a corporation. Do you not have any more brain than that?”
“One of the models accused me of…doing some things I didn't do. But, I can't prove I didn't do them. She said she'd go to the police and the papers if I didn't give her fifty-grand and a recommendation. Kelly took care of it for me…for a price, helping her keep you away from Isabelle. She had me bring her tonight so you'd see us together. She told her some BS story about a reporter wanting to talk to her. Then I was supposed to take nasty pictures of her and Kelly was going to use them to ruin her…and turn you off. This was all her…”
“Right,” Levi said. “All you did was molest a model, drug and kidnap this woman….”
“No! Okay, I drugged her, but kidnapping? That's a stretch. And that fucking model is a lying bitch.”
“I guess you can prove that in court,” Levi said. “And I'm an attorney and here to tell you that kidnapping is exactly what happened here tonight.” Levi turned toward the voices at the door and said, “And here is security. They'll keep you safe from my friend Alex while you wait for the police.” Alex's palms were itching to get his hands back on Daniel, but he forced himself to stand back and let security take over. Daniel didn't fight them, he seemed to want out of that room as badly as Alex wanted him out. Mike escorted the redhead down and when they were all gone, the house doctor showed up. Alex and Levi explained the situation to him and he took her vital signs and listened to her heart. When he finished examining her he said her vitals were good, she was breathing fine and if what Daniel had given her was a date rape drug, it would likely wear off on its own and she'd wake up in a few hours with a hangover. However, he did urge Alex, since he didn't know for sure what she had been given, to have her taken to the hospital. Alex thought about how upset she was the last time he did that, and he opted to sit with her until she woke up and leave that decision to her. He was learning that in order to keep Izzy happy…he was going to have to make sure she hung onto as much control of her own life as possible. He was okay with that, as long as she hung onto him sometimes as well. He sat down next to her on the bed, held her hand, and waited.