by A B Turner
“Yes, I left my phone behind,” I replied, hearing myself speak but still minus fully-functioning senses, this seemed to register with Matt, so although he had no idea what was happening, decided it was time for him to take charge anyway,
“So what can we do for you, Mr Loomis ?” he asked politely.
“I need to speak with Carrie ....it’s personal,” Frank replied firmly, now looking steadily at me, as if willing me to understand without forcing him to reveal something in front of Matt.
“I see, well, as it’s obviously important we’d better go somewhere,” I began cautiously, then seeing Matt’s increasingly incredulous expression, I quickly added, “.... to talk, obviously,” I tried to sound reassuring, but failed.
Matt took my arm and took me a short distance away ,
“I am not at all comfortable with this, Carrie, I mean, do you really know this guy ?” he hissed, nodding his head toward Frank.
“Of course, look, I wish I could explain, but I really can’t,” I said, still a bit fazed. Once more Matt looked first at me then back at Frank, before reluctantly releasing my arm,
“Fine..well, you’d better go, he looks like a guy who could have a short fuse if he’s kept waiting too long,” he said, his tone betraying his obvious irritation, he started across the gleaming lobby and disappeared out through the revolving doors. As I watched him go, Frank came and stood by my side and followed my gaze,
“I’m sorry for getting in the way of your plans, sweetheart, he seems like a good guy,” he said sadly.
“He is,” I answered wistfully, I knew I had hurt Matt’s feelings and that fact left me far from comfortable, but he had gone, so I turned to Frank,
“Anyway, you haven’t told me why you’re here...and how the hell did you find me ?”
Frank smiled,
“It ain’t hard to find someone, if you know who to ask, that’s all I can say, but as for why I’m here, that’s easy, Vanessa sent me, she wants to see you.”
“Me ? Why for God’s sake ?” I gasped, quickly back to a state of mild confusion. Frank shrugged,
“No idea, but she was real insistent, she’ll have my hide if I go back without you, so you’ll come, right ?” he asked, his huge brown eyes so undeniably filled with a degree of hope, I had no choice but to agree,
“OK Frank, I’ll come.”
He sighed with relief, told me to wait outside while he went to get the car, as I walked past the bored receptionist, I knew she must have witnessed the whole thing, so I waved cheerily to her as I passed her desk in an effort to appear nonchalant. She half-heartedly waved back, but then her attention was drawn by something outside, as I reached the revolving doors, there was the huge 4x4 from the night before, with Frank, now standing next to the open passenger door, his eyes now shrouded by dark glasses. As I fully appreciated how intriguing this must look, I almost flew through the doors and jumped into the waiting car as, any attempt to pass this off as normal ,would ,undoubtedly be futile.
Chapter 4
On the way, I pressed Frank to tell me the reason for the journey, but he just shrugged and seemed genuinely mystified, so I was still at a loss, by the time we pulled up at the grand entrance.
“You can go in through the front door this time,” Frank smiled, as a doorman, resplendent in uniform opened the passenger door. I stepped out, only to be greeted by a scruffy-looking man, he had two large cameras strung carelessly around his pudgy neck, he peered at me for a moment, then glanced over to two other men who were leaning against a nearby wall,
“Is she anyone ? Haven’t got my glasses ?” he called.
“Don’t think so, you blind old sod !” one yelled back laughing.
The pudgy man scowled and looked closely at me again, his beady eyes seemed to be registering every feature of my face. A half-smoked cigarette hung limply from his flaccid lower lip, causing a slight wisp of grey smoke to drift into my eyes. He reeked of sweat and stale nicotine, it was so unpleasant, I stepped back slightly, in an attempt to breath some fresh air.
“What were you doing in Vanessa Bonart’s car ?” he asked suspiciously. Fortunately, before I was forced to reply, the doorman took my arm firmly and led me into the hotel, pausing only to shoot a look at ‘Pudgy’ ,Medusa herself, would have envied.
“This way, Madam.”
Once inside, I stopped momentarily to just absorb the scene, it was like a lavish film set, vast mirrored walls, luxurious furnishings and staff everywhere, seeming to glide noiselessly across the marble floor, heeding the inaudible requests of the numerous guests. Huge crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling, sprinkling delicate pinpricks of light across every highly-polished surface. As I breathed in the heady atmosphere, it was clear, if there was a heaven, it would look just like this. An exceptionally-smart young man approached,
“Good afternoon, Madam, can I be of assistance ?” he asked.
“The lady is with me,” Frank’s authoritative voice growled behind him, the young man turned sharply, but he was not remotely fazed, he just slightly nodded,
“Of course, Sir,” and hurriedly walked away.
“You ready ?” Frank asked, his tone softening almost immediately when addressing me. I nodded confidently, but as we entered the lift to go up to the suite, the churning feeling in the pit of my stomach suggested this show of bravado was not even remotely true. As we padded along the carpeted corridor, a uniformed bellboy came towards us, without pausing, he touched his cap, as he pressed against the wall, allowing us to go by, before resuming his work.
“You gotta love these guys,” Frank whispered admiringly. As we reached the door, Frank looked at me again, he was obviously concerned as, despite my best efforts, I was failing to hide my unease. “It’ll be OK,” he said softly, then knocked at the door, almost immediately, it swung open to reveal Marcella.
“Ms Sullivan , what an unexpected pleasure to see you again so soon,” her voice completely lacking any real conviction.
“It’s nice to see you too,” I replied politely, but with equal insincerity. Frank glanced up the corridor, a couple were approaching,
“Are you going to let us in ? Or just leave us here in the hall ?” he said impatiently, Marcella scowled, then stepped back, allowing us into the suite. As I passed her, I notice her glance down at my shoes, there was a distinct flash of relief when she realised they were clean, I tried not to be offended, but failed. I followed Frank to the middle of the room, I glanced around but there was no sign of Vanessa,
“Let me take your jacket,” Marcella offered, stretching her thin hand towards me, as I gave it to her, I couldn’t help but notice the huge diamond ring on her bony finger,
“That’s beautiful,” I said admiringly. Marcella glanced down,
“Yes, it is,” she answered, temporarily distracted, as if lost in thought, I briefly wondered what she was remembering at that moment. Frank had also noticed her loss of concentration and coughed, the sudden noise brought her back to reality,
“Do sit down, Ms Sullivan,” she said firmly, clearly having regained all of her icy composure. I sat down, sinking into the lush velvet of the sofa, almost instantly realising it would be near impossible to get up again, if I rested back too far, so I shifted slightly forward, until I was almost perched on the very edge. For several minutes, we were quiet, every so often Marcella anxiously glanced towards the closed bedroom door, then at Frank who shrugged slightly. As clichéd as it sounds, the silence was literally deafening, finally, I could stand it no longer,
“Marcella, do you have any idea why Vanessa would want to see me ?” I queried. Marcella shifted in her chair, when she answered, the reason for her discomfort was soon obvious,
“I have absolutely no idea what possible reason Miss Bonart has in requesting your presence here, Ms Sullivan . She hasn’t felt it necessary to inform me...on this occasion.”
Marcella was decidedly miffed about being kept in the dark, and even more annoyed she had been forced to reveal th
is fact, so she could barely conceal her relief when the bedroom door opened behind her, thus making it unnecessary for me to press her any further. Frank stood up, but Marcella remained seated, I opted to follow her example. I looked across the room, and there, framed by the doorway , was Vanessa, but this version was totally removed from the person I had met the night before. Now, she looked calm and composed, she was dressed simply but with more than a hint of casual elegance, as she surveyed the room, the loose jumper slipped off her shoulder almost as if on cue, revealing her bare skin, but she made no move to return it to its original position. Her long brown hair framed her face, distractedly she reached up and tucked one side behind her ear, revealing a tiny diamond earring. Her large brown eyes settled on me for a moment, then , she spoke, her voice soft,
“Thank you Frank, you can go now, I won’t be needing you for the rest of the day,” turning to Marcella, who was now standing by the fireplace, she continued “and I’m sure you have places to be, Marcella.”
I glanced at Frank, who shrugged his shoulders and started to walk towards the door, Marcella was clearly uncomfortable.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer me to stay ?” she said, nodding doubtfully at me, for the second time, I failed to not be offended by her, but chose again to say nothing.
“No, we will be fine, I will call you if I need anything,” Vanessa replied firmly. Marcella sighed,
“If you’re sure, although I feel this is unwise,” she continued, but with one look at Vanessa's steady gaze, it was clear her warning was going unheeded. She walked slowly to the door, paused to pick up a dark, leather suitcase then with considerable reluctance, left the room.
Vanessa sat down on the chair opposite mine and said nothing, I started to feel slightly angry as I felt I had the right to receive an apology of some description. After all, only last night, this woman had vomited all over me, slapped me, yet there she was, having had me delivered to her like a parcel, saying nothing.
“I didn’t think you’d come,” she said quietly, there was something almost hesitant about her, despite the seemingly effortless exterior.
“Frank was very insistent,” I replied shortly, heavily emphasising his name.
“I see, so you’re only here because of Frank ?” she asked, obviously mildly surprised.
“Of course, what other reason would I have ? After last night, I would hardly be anxious to repeat the experience, would I ?” I answered, sub-consciously touching my cheek. Vanessa blanched slightly, as the memory of the slap had made itself known, but she retained her composure,
“You have a point,” she conceded.
Neither of us spoke, I was starting to get more than a little impatient,
“Look, you obviously summoned me here for a reason....” I began, but she interrupted before I could continue,
“The way you speak to me, you’re really not intimidated by me at all, are you ?” she asked thoughtfully,” Most people are, you know.”
“Well, I suppose that means I’m not like most people,” I snapped back, surprising myself by just how impatient I sounded. However, Vanessa seemed oblivious,
“I guess so....anyway, about last night, things got a little out of control and you shouldn’t have got caught up in it,” she said quietly, her eyes darting downwards, as if unable to look at me.
“Well, it wasn’t up to me, I didn’t have much choice,” I replied flatly, becoming increasingly annoyed there was still no actual apology.
“I understand that,” she answered, she paused again, apparently lost in thought, this silence brought my patience to an end, I just wanted to walk out of this hotel room and perhaps find Matt, we could talk, maybe I had been wrong...either way, there was no way of finding out while I was stuck here, watching this woman do little more than gaze at her own navel.
“Well, I’m just thrilled you understand, so now we’ve got that straight, can I go now ?” I sounded as angry as I felt. Vanessa raised her hands in surrender,
“Jesus , could you let up, just for a moment ? I’m trying to apologise here,” she said despairingly. But, unreasonably, I was no longer interested,
“ Really, it's fine..you’ve apologised, so, if there’s nothing else, there is somewhere I really need to be,” my voice sounded cold and unfeeling, not like me at all. I just knew I wanted to leave, and for more reasons than finding Matt, there was something about this woman, which I found inexplicably unnerving. I quickly stood up, and took my jacket off the back of the chair, then turned to face Vanessa. She had also risen and was now standing by a small table, she picked up two sheets of paper,
“Actually, there is just one more thing, about this agreement you signed,” she passed them to me, I gave them a cursory glance and immediately recognised them from the night before, then passed them back,
“What about it ?” I snapped impatiently.
“I just wanted to ask...did you know what you were actually signing ?” her voice sounding infinitely less shrill than mine. I glanced again at the documents,
“Yes, I knew, Marcella didn’t believe me when I said I wouldn’t say anything, so she had me sign them,” I explained.
Vanessa looked slightly stunned by this revelation,
“And you didn’t mind ?”
“Of course not, I’d already promised Frank I’d keep quiet, so signing something that basically said the same thing was never going to be a problem,” I explained, as calmly as I could manage. Vanessa tossed the papers back on to the table, shaking her head,
“Do you have any idea at all just how much money you could have got for selling this story to the media ?” she asked, clearly baffled.
“I gave my word to Frank, I would never have gone back on that, it’s that simple,” I replied, as she attempted to digest my words, I headed directly for the door, but she was faster and slammed her hand on the door to block a quick exit.
“For Frank ? You signed away the chance to make a fortune for Frank !” she was totally incredulous anyone would do such a thing – I was just exasperated,
“This may come as a shock to someone like you, but there are some things more important than money !”
Vanessa glared back at me,
“Oh really ? Thanks for the insight..by the way, you do know Frank’s married, I take it..so there’s no point trying to score points with him.. cos that fish ain’t biting, honey,” she answered sarcastically. Her comment hung in the air between us like a bad smell, I was livid, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of knowing she had rattled me, or at least, disguise the fact she had, so I took a deep breath and looked straight back at her,
“You know, I would have expected a crack like that from some of the jerks I work with, but I would have given you more credit.”
I picked up my bag and jacket as, it seemed to me, at least, there was nothing left to say. Vanessa stepped forward, I felt her slim hand gently take my arm, I paused and looked at her, she suddenly looked genuinely sad and all my anger and impatience just seemed to disappear in that one moment,
“You’re right, that was a cheap shot, I’m sorry...again... Jesus I’m always apologising to you, what’s that about ? Everyone knows I never apologise,” she admitted, a slight smile flickered across her face.
“I wouldn’t worry too much, as soon as I’ve gone, I’m sure you’ll be back to your old self,” I assured her, smiling back. I looked down at her hand still holding my arm, she reluctantly released her grip. As I reached for the door handle, she spoke again,
“Do you have to go now ? Couldn’t you at least, I don’t know, let me buy you dinner, after all, I guess I do owe you...”
I faced her and with mock seriousness,
“You guess ? Really ?”
Vanessa smiled broadly,
“OK..OK...I get it, you’re right, I do owe you, so how about it ? Have dinner with me and I’ll even promise I won’t throw up on you...however bad the food is...”
I wanted to say no, after all, there was no questio
n, the right thing to do would be to find Matt, but for some hidden reason, I found myself accepting her invitation, despite the fact I found just being around her very uncomfortable, it was like there was some yet unknown unfinished business between us, so I put my things down. Vanessa visibly relaxed,
“Shall we ?” she asked, pointing towards a dining table which dominated the far end of the room. As we sat down, she slid a leather bound menu towards me,
“Choose whatever you would like, I can call down to room service.”
I was momentarily mystified, not understanding why anyone would stay in their room, when there were five star restaurants downstairs. As if she could read my thoughts, she answered my question, Vanessa sighed heavily,
“I usually eat up here ,particularly when I’m with someone, it’s just sometimes it feels like people are always watching me, like feeding time at the zoo, I hope you understand,” she sounded almost embarrassed.
“Of course, it must be awful,” I replied sympathetically. She shrugged,
“Goes with the territory, anyway, room service is really fast, although I’m pretty sure it’s because the guys who come up are all hoping they’ll catch me wrapped in a towel, or better yet, naked,” she laughed.
“Has that ever happened ?” I asked curiously.
“Not yet, but I never rule anything out, do you ?” she asked mischievously, although the question was obviously loaded,
“Not generally,” I replied smiling, she still unnerved me, but I was starting to like her, despite myself.
“That’s good to know,” she answered innocently.
Almost as soon as she had ordered, there was a knock at the door,
“Great, dinner,” she said gleefully, “Come in,” the door opened and two waiters entered wheeling a dinner trolley laden with an array of covered plates, with almost robotic efficiency, the table was rapidly laid in almost total silence, a comparison to dinner at home, where every meal was punctuated with the general clattering of plates and the occasional clank of a dropped fork, briefly flashed into my mind. Once they had finished, the two waiters stood back, almost to attention,