Drawing The Line (Mistaken Identity Series)

by Sylvia Hubbard

  Shane showered quickly and then did her usual routine of the morning by braiding her hair up in a tight ponytail and then wrapped the braid around the end tightly. Binding her hair like this made it convenient for her not to get it done all the time. She had learned how to cut her own ends and perm her hair perfectly. Her dark brown hair came a little past her shoulder and the style she chose for it went great whether she was dressing professional, which was a requirement for most of her classes, or whether she was headed to work.

  Before going upstairs past the kitchen and out of the side door, she listened if anyone was up. This had been her new routine since the other day. Hearing no one, she left straight out of the door.

  It was a shame she had to sneak out of her own house. On top of that she couldn't enjoy her own home. Bethany was a horrible housekeeper, Bud was a pack rack and Trudy was just lazy and filthy. The only clean place in the home was the basement where Shane slept and even outside the walls that enclosed her room, was filled with dirty clothes the Meadows had just thrown down there and refused to wash.

  Sometimes in order to walk through the mess, Shane would wash the clothes and straighten up the basement, but lately with her schedule filled with school and work, she had been barely able to keep her own space clean.

  With the twins to further destroy the house, Shane figured that once she evicted the Meadows, the place would need a major overhaul.

  Still knowing that with Aldridge help she could probably legally kick her relatives out within thirty days, this thought gave her some tranquility.

  With it being Tuesday, she had a full block of classes until six at night, and then would stay at the library studying getting home no later than eleven by bus. Shane had figured out a long time ago that if she left early and came home late, she would have less to do with the Meadows. Keeping herself busy made it hard to involve herself in the Meadows life. This was another reason she worked at McDonald's (besides the extra money in her pocket) and the part time hours worked great for her packed school schedule.

  Instead of going with Evan to school that morning, as usual, she went straight for the bus and caught it by herself. She wasn't in the mood for company because she had so many things on her mind.

  Getting the driver's license out of her jacket, she stared down at Paul Watson. Many questions from the night before echoed through her mind. These questions would remain unanswered until she decided to see him again. Shane had two days to decide if she would see him again and right now was not the time to decide.

  As she was changing to her third class of the day about noon, Professor Henderson's assistant, Montgomery Peterson caught up with her and told her the professor needed to speak to her immediately. Professor Henderson was her career mentor as well and highly regarded her as one of his best students in real estate studies. He had encouraged her throughout her bachelors and had got her accepted into Wayne States Law Department with a wonderful recommendation for next year.

  Arriving in his dim lit office, she wasn't surprised to see him sitting behind his desk. He was a short man - barely over five feet tall - but he knew real estate like the back of his hand. He was good at what he did and wrote for several real estate magazines and had his own feature in the real estate section of The Detroit News.

  Professor Henderson looked a little bit too excited to see her, but she didn't allow this to faze her. They greeted each other as she sat across from him with the desk between them.

  "I've come upon a wonderful opportunity and I wanted to speak with you first." He took a sip of coffee before continuing. "An alumnus of our department who runs a very lucrative real estate company in the state has acquired a large account with Bellini Enterprises. Are you familiar with them?"

  "Of course," she said eagerly. "They're a top five ethnic real estate company! Started in the sixties by Jorge Bellini, they have their hands in everything from land, liquidation, business loans, resorts, hotels, apartment complexes, timeshare villas, and international casinos."

  "They out source some property to be handled by our alumni’s firm and they require a research assistant. Would you be interested in meeting with him?"

  Meeting them?! Hell she wanted to kiss him! "Yes!" she said excitedly. This was an excellent opportunity.

  "I know you need internship credit, plus you mentioned that your finances were tight and I'll grant you the credit you need once you finish the assignment he needs you for," Professor Henderson said proudly.

  Without a car, it had been difficult to find someone who would work around the tight schedule of internship and school. She wouldn't dare impose upon Evan to take her around and she wouldn't dare as Bud or Bethany. A paid internship was like a Platinum American Express - Hard to get and invaluable to the holder. Even with her high GPA, her family situation made it hard to obtain the internship she needed. So this opportunity was a silver lining in a dark cloud.

  Her heart soared in joy at this wonderful prospect she was being handed.

  Professor Henderson passed her a note and a business card. The name on the richly embossed card was Andrew Watkins. She placed this information in her planner.

  "He wants to meet you over brunch about two o’clock today at the Marriott Hotel downtown where he's staying until the weekend. Considering your transportation trouble, I will excuse you from the last three classes of the day since you have them all with me to meet with Mr. Watkins. Check online for any study guides or notes. Once you know your schedule, please report to me, so we can make changes in your schedule," Professor Henderson instructed.

  "Does he know of my transportation trouble?" she asked a bit hesitant.

  "He's aware of it and he said he should be able to work with you."

  Shane wanted to hug the professor. Her day was turning out to be the most perfect day. So excited about the meeting, she could barely concentrate in her next class. She went to the gym to freshen up and even change into the extra Donna Karen suit she kept in the lockers there for emergency. She had a good friend in the maintenance person at the campus gym who allowed her to store things like that in the locker for long periods of time.

  "Looking good today," Sadie said, moping up at a locker nearby. "Going on a hot date?"

  Sadie had to be about forty, but she looked almost sixty. She blamed her looks on the heavy drug and alcohol use when she was younger. Sadie had even partied with Lila Keaton back in the day. "Once your mom got pregnant with you, she kept to herself," she shared with Shane.

  When Shane was little, her mother often said having her daughter saved her soul. She called Shane her inspiration for making a better life for herself.

  "No, Sadie. I'm going to meet someone for a possible internship. It could be a really good lead. Wish me luck?" she asked.

  "Naw, I don't believe in luck Shane. Everything has a purpose. I'll pray for you."

  She kissed Sadie's wrinkled cheek and left out. "You do that. I know something really good will happen, Sadie."

  Sadie waved goodbye to the girl and briefly wondered why no one ever told Shane who her real Daddy was.

  ***

  On the way downtown, she briefly listened to the news radio station in Detroit, WWJ on the AM dial on her MP3 player. Shane wasn't a real music kind of person, but more of an information person. Her seriousness stemmed from her life of loneliness. She had hardly enough time to get out and enjoy life, so she couldn't relate to people who liked to party all the time or took life like a used piece of toilet tissue and just flushed it all away.

  She wanted to make something of her life. She wanted to become someone of importance and although she didn't have the wealth, she had options and advantages, which she would use to accomplish this. Real estate would get her there.

  "Tyrex Industries, which has caused an estimated two hundred million in damage to the upper lake region, is in Senate hearings all this week to account for suspected illegal dumping of toxic waste materials. If found guilty, Tyrex Industries could face up to one billion dollars in fines.
Democrat Michigan, Senator Payne who heads up the Senate committee has declared war upon Tyrex Industries in an attempt to show just cause in pushing tougher laws for acts of illegal dumping for industrious companies in the State of Michigan." The reporter went on, but she listened with half an ear. If it didn't concern property she really wasn't interested, but she still liked to stay up on the news and this station was a great source.

  The dumping issue had been a big story for the past year. Many smaller regions that lived on the lake in the UP had become affected by what everyone suspected Tyrex Industries had done and Senator Payne who favored natural laws was out to get them.

  She hid her MP3 player in her bag as the bus came to her stop and walked over to the Marriott. Noting it was forty-five minutes before she was scheduled to meet Mr. Watkins, she decided to go up to the room anyway just to let him know she would wait for him at the bar.

  The clerk at the front desk asked for her name and gladly provided her with Mr. Watkins’ room number. Her stomach did flips as she stepped off the elevator of the fifth floor and knocked on his room door. After a couple of minutes of waiting and there was no answer, she started to walk away and decided to just wait at the bar until the correct time. Yet, the door was snatched open and she faced the doorway to see a giant standing there in nothing but what seemed like a small hotel towel wrapped around his waist.

  He was dripping water all over his deeply tanned olive skinned body. His head was down trying to tie up the towel as hurriedly as possible.

  Shane had never stood next to a man so large – let alone a half naked white man! He had to be about six feet five of pure muscle. With broad shoulders, thick powerful long arms and a brawny chest, this man had to be a close relative of Hercules.

  When the wet dark head of hair looked up at her, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but she was struck at the beauty of the lightest green eyes. They were almost clear with a touch of mint.

  "Do I know you?" His voice was deep and soothing, yet filled with curiosity and wariness. His face came all the way up as he clutched the towel with his hand since he had been unsuccessful in getting it tied around his wide waist.

  Now that she noticed, it was a towel, which would have fit around her just fine, but his brawny and thick powerful build, made it look like a hand towel. Lawd, did this man know how absolutely fine he looked?

  "We could stand here all day, or I could just call security to assist you," he said in a deadly serious tone of voice.

  This jogged her brain embolism and she spoke, "I'm looking for Mr. Watkins."

  "I would be him. Are you from housekeeping?" he inquired. "A maid already delivered the towels."

  She shook her head. "No sir, I'm the student Professor Henderson recommended for an internship. I'm Shane Keaton."

  He looked at her extended hand warily, and then surveyed her up and down as if that were going to change what he was seeing. "I thought you were a man."

  "I'm often confused. It's a rare female name."

  "It's not a female name," he disputed.

  She shrugged. "It's a free country and you're allowed to think whatever you want to think, but that's my name, Mr. Watkins." To be so handsome, he sure was the argumentative type.

  "You're early, aren't you?" he asked.

  "A few minutes," she answered.

  "How about thirty minutes?" he again disputed.

  She sighed. "I just came up here to let you know I was early and would wait for you in the bar."

  He smirked, showing perfectly white teeth and leaned against the doorway. Shane briefly wondered had she heard the wood creak in protest from his weight. "You could have called from the lobby," he pointed out.

  This had not occurred to her and he was right. "I could have, but I didn't." She started to turn away.

  "Where are you going?" he asked with disappointment in his voice.

  "To the bar. I would rather wait for you there."

  He frowned. "Now that you're up here, why don't you just wait for me in here?" he suggested.

  " Mr. Watkins it would be highly inappropriate and unprofessional for me to come in to your room with your present state of undress."

  "I insist Shane Keaton." He moved away from the doorway and went into the room leaving her at the doorway.

  Chapter 5

  Shane looked down the hall both ways as if her aunt or uncle would jump out of nowhere and knock their fist against her temple. She remembered one night in high school when she had overslept at the library and broke her curfew. Bud had taken a switch and whipped her so bad; she had nightmares about the beating for weeks. All she remembered him saying was that "she better not bring no babies in this house!"

  The rules her aunt and uncle had applied to Shane had not been applied to Trudy.

  Cautiously stepping into the suite, she closed the door behind her and locked the door just in case she had been followed. The Adonis had gone into the bathroom and she heard water running. The front room of the suite looked barely touched. She could tell from the look of the suite, he hadn't been in it that long. The bathroom of the suite was connected through the front room and the bedroom.

  Listening to what he was doing, she looked in the bedroom. There was a suit laid out on the bed, and a small bag with personal items. The closet was open and there were no clothes hanging up. Professor Henderson said this man would be staying until the weekend, yet it looked as if he only packed for one night.

  "Being nosey, Shane Keaton?" That enchanting sonorous voice asked behind her above her head.

  She groaned at being caught at the doorway of his bedroom. He had come out of the front room door. This time, he had on some dress pants and a silk shirt, which he was in the process of finishing off adjusting the cufflinks. Facing him, she blushed. "You could say that," she said evasively.

  "Or you could just admit it?" He raised a dark brow in amusement.

  Was he joking with her? She wondered, but didn't want to say this out loud. She had learned a little about keeping her thoughts to herself from last night. "I may have been nosey," she loosely confessed just for argument sake.

  He seemed satisfied that she had done that and moved out of her way, so she could go into the front room. "Have a seat, Shane Keaton, until I can finish getting dressed. Or would you like to see something else in my bedroom?"

  She went over to the couch without answering him. He chuckled completely amused and went into the bedroom leaving the door slightly cracked. Shane didn't know if she should be slightly embarrassed or annoyed. At this time, she was both.

  "Are you always this nosey?" he asked from the bedroom.

  "No...Well, I haven't been to a hotel room before, so I wouldn't call it nosiness. More like curiosity in my opinion," she said defensively.

  He peeked out the door as he tied his tie. "You really think I believe that?"

  "Which one? That I haven't been in a hotel room or I was being curious."

  "That you were being curious," he said.

  "Yes, because what reason would I have to lie to you?"

  "Because you want an internship and the more you look like a rose, the better the chances, I might hire you." He ducked back in the room and grabbed his jacket and then came out the room completely.

  Shane frowned. "Was I supposed to respond to that statement in some kind of way, Mr. Watkins, or was that rhetorical?"

  He only shrugged nonchalantly. "Why don't we just drop the subject? I'll think what I think and you'll think what you think. What was that statement you made? It's a free country, right?"

  She huffed wondering if being employed by this man was going to be this frustrating all the time. Not really caring how damn handsome he looked, he rattled her nerves to bits.

  "Are you ready?" he asked.

  "I was ready when I arrived, Mr. Watkins," she said with a lot of annoyance in her voice.

  "Good, I'm famished." He came over to the couch and being a complete gentleman offered his hand for assistance to help her stand up.
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br />   Warily, she took the strong large hand and allowed him to lead her out the door. He released his hold on her hand once they were out in the hallway and was on their way to the elevator. Without turning her head, she strained her eyes to look at his face, but he was so damn tall, she thought for sure her eyeballs were stretched to their limit. For some reason he looked mildly familiar, but she couldn't place the face.

  Professor Henderson had said he ran a lucrative business so maybe she had seen him on television or something - Even a real estate magazine or a network gathering.

  "The professor speaks very highly of you," he said when they were inside the elevator alone. "With the resume he provided, I was positive you were a guy."

  "Are you disappointed?" she asked, keeping her eyes straight. As handsome as he was, he must be use to women staring. She didn't want to be one of those women. Shane was a professional and one didn’t mix business with pleasure – especially eye candy like Andrew Watkins.

  "Well to put it mildly, I have had problems in the past with female staff members."

  She couldn't help, but look at him. He was staring directly at her, so she was forced to make eye contact with him. "What does that mean?"

  He shrugged. "I should warn you that many females in my employ have had to be released because of office and personal conflicts."

  Of course as handsome as he was, he was most likely a playboy and probably couldn't keep his hands off the female staff in his office. "Meaning there was relations between you and female office staff?" she asked suspiciously.

  His look of mild disgust was quite evident. "No, Shane Keaton. I meant that they were unable to maintain a professional status with me when they had other things on their mind."

  "And that disgust you, Mr. Watkins?" she questioned in response to his look.

  Huffing, he said, "No. Only the fact that you assumed it was I making the advances towards them and not the other way around."

  Shane couldn't help to look guilty for her summation of this man. "For that I will admit it, Mr. Watkins, and apologize."