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by N. M. Catalano

  I’ve never been one to pay attention to what’s going on in the news, local or otherwise, but since Marco came in to our office asking for our representation I have paid closer to attention whenever his name or his company’s name, KMD Enterprises, have come up. I will be ready to present what I’ve put together for him next week including long-range plans to fulfill his needs. Well, those in the professional realm at least.

  It’s three o’clock and I’ve been tired all day. Sleeping in a place I’m not familiar with always does that to me and since I spent the night at Marco’s last night, even though I was snuggled up to him, I didn’t get the best night’s sleep. Carol comes strolling in to my office and settles herself in the chair across from my desk. I was so deep in thought I didn’t see her come in and she scared the shit out of me. Again.

  “So what’s new with you, Missy?”

  “Damn, Carol, you scared me half to death again!”

  “I always do. I’m beginning to like it, though.” She chuckles like a little girl. “What are you working on? It’s been another crazy day. I feel like I haven’t seen you all day.”

  I sit back in my chair and take my glasses off and rub my eyes, they’re burning from constantly staring at the computer screen and from being tired.

  “I’m finishing up the quotes for Marco along with some other things for his development we can help with such as prospective buyer information, things we can include at open houses, information for the commercial units…you know—stuff.”

  She leans forward in her chair and turns my computer monitor around so she can have a look at what’s open. If it was anyone else in the office I would have given them a piece of my mind but Carol and I are partners in crime, so to speak. We could get in to so much trouble if we allowed ourselves to behave like the immature children we want to. One late afternoon when things had quieted down she came in the way she did just now and the conversation somehow turned to Eddie Murphy. She stood up and did about half of his Raw show. We both laughed so hard, we almost peed ourselves.

  “Wow, that’s impressive, quite a presentation you’ve put together. This will tie up the links between the building and marketing portions, branching out to all segments of Marco’s plans from the different types of residential units to the business arena.”

  I can tell by Carol’s expression she’s sincere, she likes what I’ve put together. Carol’s the senior agent in the office and the boss when the owner is absent, her approval and praise are very important and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

  “Thank you, I appreciate it. I wanted to make sure we presented answers to all needs of Marco’s project, immediate and long term, and identify all applicable situations.”

  I feel pretty good about what I’ve done. After the fiasco with Santino, my ex-husband, and having been required to take a lie detector test and a suspension here at work, I want to solidify my commitment to our office, the company and the clients. Marco has given me the perfect opportunity to do all of that.

  “Well, Elizabeth, it’s perfect. It’s sharp, concise, informative and easy to understand without being minimalistic. Nice work. When are you going to present it to him?”

  “Next week, I want to give it another once over before I take it to him.”

  “Sounds good.” Carol pauses thinking for a moment before she continues. “You do realize how big having Marco and his project is to our office, don’t you?” She looks sideways at me.

  “I have a pretty good idea. But putting modesty aside, we do pride ourselves in catering to the needs of the elite. And this entire project is the top level of the elite.”

  “I read that upon completion, the KMD Enterprise project will cost a few million dollars.” Carol’s voice is low almost like she’s telling a secret that she’s not supposed to. “And I can only guess what that’s going to translate over for us. This is huge, Elizabeth.”

  “You don’t have to scare the crap out of me, Carol. I can only imagine the stress Marco’s company is under with that kind of money, but he doesn’t give any indications of it. He’s cool as can be.”

  “Well, Marco’s a professional. This isn’t his first day on the job. He knows exactly what he’s doing and I’m sure his whole career has been leading up to this.”

  “Yes, I’m sure it has.”

  Her innocent but obvious statement causes my mind to wander, wondering what Marco’s life has been like. I wouldn’t let him tell me too much personal information about himself because I wanted to hide my past. There is so much about him I don’t know. I have no idea if he’s ever been married or engaged before, how many brothers and sisters he has if any, if his family still lives in New York. The list goes on and on. I suddenly feel immensely guilty for being so selfish and stupid.

  “Okay, boss lady, get out of here, I’ve got work to finish up and a big weekend planned so I want to bust out of this joint on time.”

  “Oh, yeah? What ya got planned?” She makes no move to leave but instead sits up in her seat and rests her arms on the edge of my desk.

  I smile thinking of the upcoming couple of days.

  “Marco and I are going shopping tomorrow. He’s just moved into a new condo on the riverfront. His furniture is fantastic but he needs a few finishing touches. And,” I lean in closer to her from across the desk, “I have to buy a corset for a Halloween costume for a party I’m going to.”

  “Oh, you and Marco going together?”

  “Shopping, yes, to the party, no. I’m going with a friend I worked with on the Safe Haven set.” I still feel bad about leaving him alone for Halloween.

  “Okay…” Carol looks a little confused.

  “She invited me to go with her right after I met Marco, before he texted me that first time. You remember that crazy text, right?”

  “Yeah, it was unusual.” She smiles and rolls her eyes. She was walking by my office the first time he contacted me and saw how shocked I was to hear from him at all.

  “I’d already told her I would go before Marco and I started seeing each other and I can’t blow her off…just for a guy, even if it is Marco.”

  “You’re right; it wouldn’t be right. So he’s taking you to buy a corset?” Oh, that taunting little smile she gives me tells me what’s going on in her head.

  “Yes,” I am definitely not going to tell her that he said he knows the perfect store for items like that and there are only two that I can think of, and I bet he’s not referring to the one in the mall.

  “Well, then I won’t keep you. I’m not going to be the one to hold you up from taking care of our favorite client. I’ll be sure to ask Marco if you’re keeping him satisfied,” Carol says slyly with a wink.

  I instantly turn bright red as images of all the ways I want to do exactly that flood my mind.

  “All right Miss Thing, don’t you have some work to do?” I tease her.

  “I’m going, I’m going, don’t be so pushy,” she leaves laughing as she does.

  As soon as she steps into her office my phone alerts me with a text. Can’t I get any work done this afternoon?

  Hi baby, I’ll pick you up at 6 for dinner, Café’ Phoenix, pack a weekend bag

  The whole weekend at Marco’s is exactly what I need to get used to sleeping at his place and the thought of it makes me want to squeal out loud.

  Ok, anything else I should know about this weekend?

  Just that we’re only getting out of bed if we have to

  Sounds like a perfect way to spend a weekend.

  Marco

  “Damn!”

  Everything, even the information on the computer screen, shook with the impact of my fist on the desktop. This is not what I want to find out first thing Friday morning. The building department for the city of Wilmington is holding up issuing our first set of permits to begin work on the infrastructure for the development project. Steve Mikelson, my project manager, said that the inspector told him he wants make sure we are in complete compliance with Occupational Safety and Health
Administration division. OSHA’s approvals are included with our applications. What the hell is this guy’s problem? I know there is no way I’m going to find anyone anywhere near the building department on a Friday so I’m going to have to sit on this bullshit situation all weekend. Not getting the answers I want right now is going to drive me crazy.

  I’m going to wear a path on the carpet from pacing the length of my office so many times. I’m so fucking pissed off right now I could rip someone’s head off. Something is not right; I can feel it. All the paperwork was done months ago and has been reviewed, reviewed again, and reviewed a third time. There is no way even a pinpoint, not even an i missing its dot, was left open for discrepancy.

  “How the fuck could those permits not be issued? It’s impossible!”

  Every day of delay costs thousands of wasted dollars. I have never left any chance of a possibility for problems. And this project in particular is brilliant, years in the making, and I took extra time in preparation to make sure it is perfect. How could this happen?

  I don’t even bother picking up the phone to call my secretary. I yell from where I’m standing, “Christine, bring me the copies of the building applications! And tell Steve to get his ass in here too!” The poor girl, I’m probably scaring the shit out of her but I don’t care. She’s going to have to get used to me. Every day’s not going to be a picnic.

  Five minutes later Christine comes in with manila folders piled high in her arms.

  “I heard about the permits so I brought the other files as well, just in case you might need them too.”

  Now I remember exactly why I hired her.

  “Thanks, Christine, you’re the best.” I smile appreciatively at her, at least someone knows how to do their job and more.

  “You’re welcome. But Steve is out of the office, I just texted him and he said he’d be back in about an hour.”

  I know she’s bracing for my outburst.

  “Dammit! Where the hell is he?”

  “He says he’s got a meeting with a contractor but he’ll be back soon.

  “Fine, I’ll get started on them alone. Could you bring me some coffee? I’m gonna need it if I’m going to find this supposed needle in the haystack.”

  “Got a fresh pot already brewing.”

  I sit down at my desk flipping open the folder on top and smileup at her.

  “You’re going to spoil me.”

  “Just doing my job so you can do yours.”

  “You’re a smart kid, and we’re lucky to have you.”

  That compliment makes the quick-thinking, intelligent assistant blush.

  “Thank you, and, um, there’s one other thing…” I notice she’s fidgeting. She’s nervous about something.

  “What is it?” I ask her, getting a slightly annoyed that she’s not spitting it out, then I reprimand myself, it’s not her fault I’m having a shitty day.

  “Well, this morning when I came in, I didn’t think there was anyone else here until I came back here to turn on the lights and Liana was at your desk looking for something. And, um…”

  “Go on.” My patience is slipping.

  “I’ve seen her at Steve’s desk as well when he wasn’t here.” Uncertainty is written all over her face. She’s probably torn between feeling like a tattletale child and concerned if there is something to this.

  Although I’m not very happy with this news, I’m not going to add to Christine’s discomfort. It’s my job to make her job as pleasant as can be.

  “Thanks for telling me, you did the right thing. I’m sure she was just looking for something but,” I pause, “with the project hopefully getting into high gear, why don’t we keep my office door locked when I’m not here. Sound like a plan?” I ask her giving her a wide smile trying to soothe her frazzled nerves.

  “Sounds good, will do.” Her obvious relief is clearly evident on her face as she turns to leave.

  Turning my attention to the stacks of folders, I am going to find where the problem is, even if it kills me.

  I’m not even halfway into my second file when Steve comes sauntering into my office. His relaxed attitude used to grate on my nerves. I thought he just hung around all day looking like he was about to hit the waves, the eternal beach bum, but it’s this nonchalant attitude that has gotten him the respect of his peers. Not all successful men have to look and act like sharks, and I think we complement each other very well.

  It could be said that Steven Mikelson wasn’t quite born with a silver spoon in his mouth but it got there pretty quickly. He came up with me from Florida, along with a couple of other associates. Steve’s father John is one of the owners of the company I worked for in Florida and is a small silent partner in KMD Enterprises. He is the M. His family is from the same neighborhood mine is from but they moved down to Florida from New York when Steve and I were just kids. We got our first two-wheel bikes on the same day. Steve also went to NYU to get his degree. The only difference between him and me is that he continued on afterwards in building and construction certifications.

  The D in KMD Enterprises is for Vinny D’Angelo. Vinny started the construction company in Florida back in the seventies. He is also a transplanted New Yorker from Brooklyn, and is a major investor in KMD. The affiliations that brought Vinny and John together originally can only be assumed, but the connections they have are astounding, from the local drug dealer on the corner to several senators and congressmen. Vinny built the empire from a small, local single-family construction company, to impressive multi-use communities with John as a major factor in its growth and evolution over a thirty-year span. Vinny saw opportunities for future expansion farther up the coast and approached me several years ago with his plans, asking me if I wanted to run a division. I immediately saw his vision and jumped on it.

  “Sucks ass, doesn’t it, Marco?”

  “No shit, what exactly did the asshole building inspector tell you?”

  Sitting back and molding to the chair, he looks like he’s ready to pull out a joint and light it up right here. “He wasn’t very precise with anything, actually. He skirted around not issuing our permits yet, never committing to a reason. He was neither accusatory or matter of fact, but rather like, ‘I think I’m gonna sit on this a spell’.”

  I’m stunned; there is no way to explain it. I just blink at him, mouth open, shocked.

  “Sit on this a spell, are you kidding me? Does he know how much his sitting is costing us? Can he legally fucking do this?” My voice gets higher and higher as I go on until finally when I get to ‘this’ I’m yelling again. I wouldn’t be surprised if my eyeballs are popping out of my head, the veins on the sides of my neck are bulging, and my face is red from my blood pressure shooting through the roof.

  “Yes, he can if he has a legitimate reason to do so. And he’s pulling out OSHA, environmental regulations, public health issues, and building standards.”

  Right now I want to slap the shit out of Steve’s hey dude persona. How can he be so laidback when everything is threatening to go to fucking shit?

  “We sat with the city council months ago presenting our plans to them and went over this countless times. There shouldn’t be any questions now.”

  “Well, he can do this and he is. I don’t think it’s actually because he thinks something is wrong in our plans but I think it has to do with him personally. I don’t know if he needs to justify his position, if the city is coming down on him for something, or he just doesn’t like you. It could be as simple as that.” As he shrugs his shoulders, his last sentence hangs in the air like a stinky fart.

  “That’s ridiculous.” I can’t believe that.

  “Ridiculous or not, that’s what I think.” He waves his hand at the pile of folders in front of me. “You can spend all week reviewing that pile of dead trees, but you’re not going to find anything wrong. This is why I was out talking to local contractors and suppliers. You know how it is. If you want to know the truth go talk to the people on the street.”

&
nbsp; Steve’s right. Sitting here across from him, I get the feeling something really wrong is growing and I can tell it’s going to blow. I don’t know when or how, but my instincts tell me somebody is responsible for this, and my instincts are never wrong. When I find out who it is I am going to enjoy making them pay. Now I need to decide where to begin. One thing that rings loud and clear in my head is the first rule Vinny taught me: Never trust anyone. The second rule is the place to start is with the people. Money can get even the straightest guy to help you if you know how to talk to him. I knew even when I was a kid everything could be found out on the streets if you asked the right people, even information that had to do with politicians and the men who pulled their strings. It’s time for me to make a few calls.

  Chapter Five

  Marco

  I’m looking forward to a night with Elizabeth after the day I’ve had. I just want to get lost in her and not think about anything else. Worrying about the problems at work now is not going to get those permits issued any faster.

  She gave me the keys to her place so I let myself in. Long shadows are falling over the rooms, the sun has already set and there are only a few lamps on throughout the apartment. I hear the soft chatter of Elizabeth’s voice from the bedroom and it stirs the beast within me. I turn towards that direction hoping that she can’t hear my footsteps. I want to watch her for a moment without her knowing I’m there.

  I walk through the darkened rooms of this old Victorian house where the past and the present live together. I pass pictures of Elizabeth’s family covering the white walls in black frames. One photo of her mother stops me. It’s a black and white of her on the beach. She’s beautiful, reclining and posed like a 1950s Hollywood starlet. I have a sense that she was a very strong and commanding woman and I don’t know why but I’m certain the blood that runs through Elizabeth’s veins has the strength of the matriarchs in her family before her.