Set In Stone

by K. M. Scott

  “Okay. Thanks, Charlie.”

  As I turned to leave, he gave me a pat on the arm to console me. That was what my life had come to because of Tressa Stone. Now security guards pitied me.

  By the time the car dropped me off at my apartment, I didn’t know if I felt angry or disappointed. I still had no clue as to where she went, and even though I couldn’t think of a single reason why she’d be avoiding me this time, I had a sneaking suspicion something had happened to change her mind about me.

  Had she tried to contact me while I was in LA? I checked my phone and found no calls from her. Since all calls were directed to my cell, she wouldn’t have gotten my away message. I wondered if she’d come over with the idea of surprising me. That didn’t sound like Tressa at all, but a quick check with the security in the lobby of my building and I crossed that idea off the list of possible reasons she’d be upset with me.

  After a quick shower, I called her office and her assistant gave me a very vague answer that she wasn’t in today. If anyone knew where Tressa was, it was that woman, but her very businesslike way told me she wouldn’t be offering any additional information on her boss’s location. When I asked when she’d be back, the woman claimed she didn’t know.

  So much for that route. I ended the call and had to admit that I shouldn’t have expected anything more from Tressa’s assistant. She was as cold as her boss appeared to be.

  No worries. I had another way I could get around the assistant’s stonewalling. Why not go straight to the top and ask Tristan Stone where his daughter was?

  The woman who had been all smiles the day I was there to see the man in person tersely told me to hold and then left me waiting for nearly five minutes. Finally, she came back and transferred the call to her boss.

  “Killian, how are you doing? I saw on the news yesterday that you guys might be getting another wide receiver. That could make New York practically unstoppable, don’t you think?” Tristan asked in the same jovial way as when I’d met him in his office.

  That felt like a good start. I had no idea why everyone else at Stone Worldwide was so icy this morning, but at least Tristan seemed his usual self.

  After discussing how a wide receiver would shore up the offense and make the team a powerhouse, I segued to the real reason I’d called him. “Sir, I called because I’m trying to find Tressa. We’ve been seeing each other, and I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

  “You two have been dating?” Tristan asked, clearly surprised.

  I hesitated for a moment to call what we’d been doing dating since I doubted it would technically be considered that, but then I answered, “Yes. We’ve seen each other a few times this week. When I returned from LA this morning, I found her gone and no one seems to want to tell me where. I’ve called her a few times, but it always goes to her away message.”

  “That sounds like Tressa is avoiding you, to be honest, Killian. Only you’d know why.”

  But I didn’t.

  “I honestly have no idea. We did have a misunderstanding after our first date, but we cleared that up a couple days ago. I don’t know what could be wrong.”

  “Well, as much as I wish I could help you, I think my daughter is the one to deal with. I will tell you this. She’s not in the country at the moment, but I expect her to return within the week. If I talk to her, I’ll be sure to tell her you’ve been trying to contact her.”

  Disappointed, I thanked him for his help, but just before I ended the call, he said, “If it helps, Tressa isn’t treating you any differently than anyone else, Killian. This is how she is when she’s upset about something. She’s been like this since she was a little girl. I don’t know what could be the problem, but this isn’t unusual for her. Give her time. I bet she comes around.”

  I thanked him again and tossed my phone onto the kitchen counter in frustration. Where the hell could Tressa be and why was she avoiding me this time?

  Knowing that she routinely did this to others, even her family members, didn’t make me feel any better. For fuck’s sake, we’d had a good time the other night. What did I have to do to make this woman understand I wasn’t just some dick like other men she’d known?

  After becoming more and more frustrated by the whole damn situation and pacing for an hour, I made sure all my calls would go to the videophone and sat down to watch some TV. I didn’t have to be at any meetings until afternoon, so hopefully, I could find something to take my mind of Tressa.

  A few minutes later, I heard the familiar noise alerting me that I was getting a call. My stomach tightened and my heart skipped a beat as I hoped it would be Tressa, but it wasn’t.

  Disappointed, I sat back as Sherilyn showed up on the screen all smiles. “How was the premiere?”

  I shrugged. I’d completely forgotten about the premiere until that moment. “Good, I guess. The movie was shit, but I pretended I liked it. I have a feeling Athena knows it’s bad, though. No need to pile on when someone’s down.”

  “You looked good, Killian. Black tie affairs always work for you. I have no doubt when you’re done with football that modeling or even acting is in your future.”

  I stared at her utterly confused. “What do you mean? You weren’t there, were you?”

  “No,” Sherilyn said, laughing as if anything I’d said was funny. “We have this thing called TV now. I saw you on the Premiere channel. I’m still amazed they have an entire channel dedicated to movie premieres and after parties. But then again, there are thirteen game show channels, three channels dedicated to dogs, and an entire channel for needlepoint, so why not? To think people used to think fishing shows were ridiculous.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked as the idea of a channel for needlepoint ran through my head. Who the hell would watch that?

  “The Premiere channel. Are you okay? That flying out and back in one day must be messing with you.”

  “What channel is this Premiere channel?”

  “Thirty-one twelve. They’re going to be replaying the whole One Lucky Day premiere and party around the clock, I’m sure. You can see. You looked great. Athena did too, but she always does.”

  I pressed the buttons on the remote to go to the channel, minimizing Sherilyn into the corner of the screen. Two women dressed in black gowns and talking about who attended some party appeared in front of me.

  “How much of it do they show?”

  “Everything. I can’t believe you’ve never heard of this. It’s been around for a few years now. I’ve seen you at a couple of them on that channel. They start with the stars walking down the red carpet, and then if you pay, you can see the film right when it premieres. Then they have a team of people who mill about at the after party interviewing the guests.”

  Just then, I saw the beginning of the One Lucky Day premiere show. I watched as the star of the movie and his girlfriend walked down the red carpet and posed for pictures. Then right behind them I saw Athena and me walk toward the press. At least now I knew why Tressa wasn’t answering my calls.

  Then I heard the commentator say, “It looks like Athena Rogers and Killian Brenton are as close as ever here tonight for this premiere. I have to say they always made a gorgeous couple.”

  Fuck. Tressa had seen this and jumped to the logical conclusion that I was even worse than just an attention whore athlete. Thanks to these assholes and their comments about Athena and me, she thought I was with another woman.

  I began pacing again as the commentator continued talking about useless shit like who the designer of Athena’s dress was and who designed my tux. Who the fuck cared about those kinds of things?

  “Sherilyn, I need to find out where someone is. Any ideas on how to do that?”

  “Uh, here or international?” she asked.

  “Out of the country. I don’t know where, though. Left in the past few hours.”

  Sherilyn nodded. “All pilots have to file flight plans. If you know where the flight left from, assuming the person is on a pla
ne, that could be one way. Which airport?”

  “I don’t know. I need you check all of them. I’m guessing it’s a Stone Worldwide private jet she took. I need you to find out where Tressa Stone went.”

  Sherilyn stared at me, clearly confused about all of this. “Why don’t you just call her?”

  “I tried. She’s not answering my calls. I keep getting her away message.”

  “Maybe she’s sleeping. Not everyone keeps the hours you do, Killian.”

  “I want you to find out where she went, Sherilyn.”

  Still confused, she shrugged. “Okay. Give me a little while. I’m not even sure flight plans are public. I’ll do what I can.”

  “Good. Find out as soon as you can and get back to me.”

  I ended the call and sat back on the couch. Tressa saw me with Athena and jumped to the wrong conclusions. Of course she did. With the way Athena was hanging all over me, like she always did, most people likely thought we were back together even without that jackass reporter talking about it.

  As I sat there waiting for Sherilyn to call back, my mind moved from how much I hated this fucking Premiere channel to how much I hated the fact that I had to keep chasing after Tressa. Every time I wanted to see her, I had to fight tooth and nail to get to her. She had to be blackmailed into going out on that damn date she paid ten grand for. Then I didn’t even get a thank you for the flowers, and when I went to see her, I had to charm the damn security guard to get to the penthouse. And after all that, she still kept me standing out in the fucking hallway where I practically had to beg her to let me in.

  Why did she have to be so damn difficult?

  A few minutes of that shit and I had to reel myself in. The truth was I liked Tressa, and the work I had to do to be with her wasn’t anything more than I’d ever done with anyone else. True, most women didn’t make me work so hard to see them, but the drama and bullshit I had to deal with once we were together were just as difficult to deal with as the hassle Tressa put me through.

  And when I finally did get to be with her, I had a good time, and not just with the sex. When she let down her guard, she was fun and even sweet. I liked that. I didn’t understand her dislike of the public eye, but getting to be around her privately made up for that.

  I’d never shied away from a challenge, and Tressa Stone was just that. I wasn’t ready to give up on her quite yet.

  Sherilyn called back a half hour later, and I knew instantly she hadn’t been able to find out what I needed to know. “No luck. She didn’t fly out of any airports in the area. Maybe she went on a cruise?”

  “Doubtful. Okay, thanks.”

  The screen went dark again and I closed my eyes. Where could she be? I didn’t have a clue, so I had no choice but to wait until she returned home. I just hated not being able to tell her that what she saw wasn’t what she thought she saw.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tressa

  The car rolled down Manhattan’s streets on the way to the Richmont hotel as I prayed to God Killian wouldn’t be waiting there for me when I arrived. After such a successful trip to London, the last thing I wanted on my return home was to deal with him after what I saw on that ridiculous Premiere channel.

  Pushing the memory of him and that blonde with the most perfect breasts I’d ever seen out of my mind, I focused on the London redesign. I’d expected to have to fight with the designer, but as soon as we sat down and I calmly explained in the nicest terms how I hated her American midcentury designs for the hotel, she thankfully agreed and we started fresh by discussing exactly how I wanted it to look.

  If only every facet of my life could work so smoothly.

  I took a deep breath in and closed my eyes as I let it out slowly. Don’t think about him. Don’t. You made a mistake, but now you’re going to fix it and be done with Killian Brenton.

  The car stopped and the driver said, “The Richmont, miss. Would you like me to help you with your bag?”

  Opening my eyes to thank him for the offer, I saw a nightmare awaiting me outside the car. Dozens of reporters milled about in front of the hotel. Damnit! Why were they here? Did that mean Killian was inside waiting for me? How could he know I was returning now?

  I didn’t answer the driver and opened the car door to see the press rushing toward me. I barely stepped onto the sidewalk before they swarmed, yelling out questions like a crazed mob, all of them about the same topic.

  Killian Brenton.

  “Tressa, are you and Killian dating?” one asked as I began to push through the crowd.

  I kept my head down and my bag in front of me to carve a path through them. I wanted to answer their questions by announcing how much I wasn’t dating goddamned Killian. I also wanted to tell each of them to go away and leave me the hell alone.

  None of that came out of my mouth, though.

  “Is it serious? How long have you been together?” another one yelled as I passed by him.

  I cringed at the description of us as serious. Hadn’t any of these vultures seen him with that blonde woman just a few nights ago?

  Just then, one of them yelled out, “Killian was just with his ex Athena Rogers the other night at the premiere of her new movie. Did you know they’re seeing one another again? How does that affect your relationship with him?”

  My heart sank at each word. Was I considered the other woman he was cheating with, or was I the foolish girlfriend who didn’t realize she was being cheated on? Both sounded horrible, and under my breath, I cursed the moment I laid eyes on Killian.

  I finally reached the glass front doors and saw the portly security guard named Charlie waiting just inside. Opening them for me, he did his best to chase away the reporters, stopping them as they tried to get into the hotel lobby.

  “Miss Stone, I’m so sorry you had to return home to this. I promise you not a single one of them will get into the hotel, though.”

  Spinning around to face him, I glared at him and didn’t even try to hide how furious the scene outside had made me. “No one is to be allowed upstairs, and that means no one! And if a single one of those reporters or anyone else gets up to my penthouse, you’ll be fired quicker than you can say your name! Got it?”

  The man’s round eyes opened wide and he nodded quickly. I turned on my heels and marched over to the elevator to take me to my home. I’d planned on relaxing tonight, but I had something else to attend to now, and I didn’t want to wait until I cooled down.

  As the elevator passed each floor, I grew angrier and angrier. Balling my free hand into a tight fist, I pressed my fingernails into my palm to keep my rage at a fever pitch. When the doors finally opened on the top floor, I stormed out toward the penthouse, throwing my bag onto the couch before I turned toward the screen on the wall next to me.

  “Call Killian Brenton now!” I demanded and waited impatiently as the piece of electronics did its job.

  A few moments later, he appeared on the screen looking as pleasant as always. But I wasn’t in the mood for pleasant. In fact, I doubted I’d be anywhere near pleasant in the next week.

  “Tressa, I’m so happy to see you.”

  I held up my hand and shook my head. “Don’t speak. I’m not listening. I am, however, furious about the mob of reporters outside my hotel crowding me as I return home from a business trip and asking me questions about the two of us dating. You did this, didn’t you? I couldn’t have been clearer about how I felt about being in the limelight, and still you told one of them we were dating, which we aren’t. Why? Why would you do that? What purpose did it serve?”

  He flashed that sexy smile that I couldn’t resist, which only frustrated me more. “I guess we haven’t done much of what dating entails, but you wouldn’t want reporters to be asking if we’re fucking, would you?”

  “I hate you. Do you know that?”

  Killian shook his head and smiled even more broadly. “No, you don’t.”

  “Despise you. That might be more appropriate. Loathe you. Yeah, that feels ri
ght. I loathe you for what you’ve done. Goodbye, Killian.”

  He leaned forward so his face was all I could see. “Which thing do you loathe me for? I’d like to know just for future reference.”

  God, the way he looked at me with those green eyes. No. I shouldn’t look at him. I needed to focus on my loathing of him.

  “I just told you. There are reporters outside my damn hotel bothering me. I can’t even leave, for God’s sake! I’m trapped here, and it’s all because of you telling them we’re dating, which I feel the need to repeat, we are not. We. Are. Not.”

  “Oh, okay. I thought it might have been for that whole movie premiere thing, which you know would mean you don’t hate me at all but like me an awful lot. At least that’s what it would look like, you know, if you were loathing me for that. Which you aren’t, I guess.”

  My cheeks began to heat up, and I turned away so he couldn’t see my face. “I’m not having this conversation with you. I don’t know what you’re talking about, so you’re making no sense. You better get whoever you told we were dating to retract that right now.”

  “So the loathing isn’t about the movie premiere? Good, because that was just me doing a friend a favor.”

  I spun around to see him staring at me and grinning. God he was infuriating! “I don’t care what or who you do, Killian Brenton. Actually I do care what you do. Tell whoever you have to that we aren’t dating right now so I can leave my hotel room.”

  “I had a feeling you cared. You come off like some kind of ice queen, but I know what’s smoldering underneath that cool façade, Tressa. I’ve seen the real you, so I knew you cared. But it wasn’t anything to worry about. Athena isn’t anyone to me anymore. We’re just friends, and she asked me to attend her premiere with her. Nothing else to say.”

  What was wrong with this man? Hadn’t he heard a word I’d said? And what kind of name was Athena? Did parents who named their children after Greek goddesses know ahead of time their daughters would look like that blonde Killian had hanging off him just a few nights ago?