Drawing The Line (Mistaken Identity Series)

by Sylvia Hubbard

  "There's no need for apologies, Shane. I know you'll get use to everything soon." He looked out the window deep in thought. "You don't get out much, do you, Shane?"

  "No, Mr...Andrew," she said surmising since he was calling her by her first name, they had the privacy he wanted.

  "When was the last time you went to a doctor?" he asked.

  This was a strange question to ask. "Does this question have to do with knowing your employee status?"

  "Yes," he said without hesitation.

  "It's been about four weeks if you want to know. I just finished my yearly examination that my...that's required."

  He frowned at her peculiar hesitation, but did not remark upon it. Instead, he said, "So health wise you are fine?"

  "If you're worried I like to use my leave days to swing from the chandeliers and drink until I throw up at strange people’s homes, I can assure you I don't."

  "I've spoken with your part time job and your manager's assured me you are probably the only employee that has perfect attendance." He cleared his throat and reached down to pour himself a scotch and water.

  She frowned her disapproval of his action, but kept her comments to herself. Remembering how her mother's liver damage was so severe she wondered if she should preach some of her opinion on health to Andrew. Shane had a feeling the last thing he wanted was her opinion on his own personal habits.

  "It bothers you, doesn't it?" he asked.

  "What?" she asked, pretending not to know what he was referring to. This gave her a reason to look at him and she noted he had changed his tie.

  "My drinking bothers you."

  "I don't see the need to have something to drink while you're on your way to a meeting, but that's just my opinion and it needs not to be discussed," she quickly said.

  He turned his body towards her and smiled almost too wickedly. "Your opinion matters highly, Shane. I value it. If that habit of mine bothers you then I won't do it in front of you."

  She leaned forward slightly perturbed. "Who are you trying to please, Andrew?" she asked. "You don't look like a man who would really care what a woman thinks of you."

  He stiffened as if she had caught him in the act of doing something. "Let's just say I feel I know you better than I know myself and your opinion is highly recommended."

  Narrowing her deep brown eyes at him, she sat back and pursed her lips together. Suddenly she felt like she didn't know this man across from her. Why would he actually consider what she thought of him and just decide to change? What was he actually trying to accomplish?

  The limousine pulled into a driveway of another office suite in Southfield and she was led to an office where Mrs. St. Charles eagerly greeted them. They spoke with her for about an hour and by the time they were done, Shane was famished, but refused to let him know this.

  When they returned to the limousine, Troy wasn't in the vehicle, but there was an agenda left for Andrew in the backseat. He made several calls, but had not addressed her on a personal matter again since they had arrived in Southfield.

  Arriving back at the office around seven, she was glad she had one more hour to go with him.

  He sent her ahead into the office's side door while he spoke to the driver. Everyone had gone home for the day. Shane would be alone with Andrew yet again.

  The lights were low, but she made her way to the office to update her computer and drafted a memo to Rachel to request office supplies.

  He entered and immediately looked toward her desk just as she was finishing checking her PDA for anything else that was to be done today. Just as she looked up at him, her stomach growled loudly and she flushed embarrassed.

  "If you were hungry, Shane, why didn't you say anything?"

  "I'll be fine," she said.

  "I'll order out," he suggested.

  If he was any nicer to her, she was positive she would just pass out. Why was he being like this? What was his motivation? "No Andrew. I'll be fine." She was stiff and near the brink of not being able to take another moment in his presence.

  He gave her that look she saw in the restaurant as if he were trying to figure her out and she didn't like that look. Going to his desk, he handled some paperwork.

  The thirty minutes she sat there waiting for eight o'clock felt like centuries. She certainly had a lot to do and accomplished it, but it felt agonizing in his presence.

  Soon as her computer's clock read eight pm, she arose and put back on her coat. "I'll see you in the morning, Andrew," she said.

  He stood as if he had done something wrong. "It was not my intentions to make you feel uncomfortable at all, Shane."

  "I don't feel uncomfortable," she lied, yet the sheen of sweat was obvious. "I'm just probably nervous about doing a good job for you, Andrew."

  Andrew frowned and came around his desk buttoning his jacket. "Please let me walk you out."

  She didn't refuse although her lip became tight at her disapproval of him even doing this for her. They went out the side door and she started to head for the fence to walk to the nearest bus stop.

  "Where are you going?" he questioned.

  "I'm going home."

  "How?"

  Shane huffed. "How else would I accomplish that, Andrew except by bus?"

  "Maybe because you have a vehicle." He pointed to sport size gold Escape in the parking lot.

  Her eyes couldn't get any wider and she was speechless.

  "Didn't Rachel inform you of the car?"

  "She could have mentioned it, but with the day’s events, I didn't realize..." Shane didn't know what to say.

  "Check the pouch on the brief. You should have the keys and registration information."

  She did and gasped not believing her own oversight.

  "It's just a company vehicle, Shane. It's nothing to get excited over," he said indifferently.

  She quickly contained her excitement and went over to the vehicle. He watched from the doorway as she got in and drove away. Once she was gone, Andrew closed the gate and secured the entrances of the building. Instead of going to his office on the right, he veered to the left and went inside that office.

  As soon as he opened the door, his green gaze lit on familiar blue eyes and he sighed tiredly very glad to see the face.

  "And how was Shane's first day of work?"

  Andrew didn't answer right away. He wanted to relax for a bit before going into explanation. Shane was figuring out too much at once and he didn't want to be the one to go back and tell everyone he was the one that had made her back out, but dammit, no matter what he did, she seem to have this resistance against him.

  It had been the first time any female had actually withstood from their attraction to him. She clearly didn't want any part of him and that got his goat bad.

  He had been told Shane wasn't a person who allowed a face to detract from her mission, but he didn't think he would have to put so much effort into her. Andrew had figured she would see him, get to know him and despite his faults, she would agree to anything.

  Andrew had clearly planned to have her by the end of this day, yet instead she had been so eager to get out of his presence, she forgot her items including her vehicle.

  What the hell was he doing wrong?

  Chapter 9

  Pulling in front of Evan's home, she parked the vehicle and wondered what to do. Sure she could hide having this for at least a week, but after that time, she was positive, Bethany would sabotage something.

  The last internship she had, Bethany had prevented her from going and she ended up losing the position. It was as if to keep Shane down was Bethany's ultimate pleasure in life.

  After leaving the office, she had not come straight home. Instead, she had gone to the library and worked for an hour. The staff was familiar with her and allowed her to stay until they closed up the library.

  She found that the MPM on the envelope she had taken from Evan’s home stood for Missing Persons Magazine. It was mostly geared for the police agencies on missing person
s with articles and websites related to this, but it mainly highlighted a tragic missing person of the month. Why Evan would need this information? She didn't know and figured she would have to spend a little bit more time in his home before she was able to determine what the Meadows were up to.

  Shane felt deeply betrayed knowing the Meadows had turned Evan into their own secret spy against her. How long had he been like this? When had she lost her only true friend?

  Crossing the street to her home, she entered the side door and went straight into her room. She hid the brief inside of her backpack, and placed the pack under her bed like always.

  Quickly she took a shower and jumped in bed. Getting a good night sleep was important for tomorrow because she had decided to go and meet Paul. She was nervous about seeing him again.

  She awoke extra early and went into the kitchen knowing the house was still asleep. Quietly, she went over to the coffee pot and saw that someone had fixed the grinds into the pot all ready.

  Just as she was about touch the coffee pot, she gasped hearing the sound at the kitchen doorway. It was Derrick standing there sucking his thumb.

  Yet, he was extremely pale and his eyes were hallowed out. He didn't look like the lively four years old she had seen just a month ago. Shane felt guilty that she had not had time to spend with her nephews recently. School had become a very important factor in her life of late, because she had just this semester to complete before she was done. Once she completed the required hours for the external internship she would be able to graduate and if she stuck with Andrew's company she knew she would be walking across the stage by July.

  Looking into Derrick's sickly face, she wanted to cry because she could see there was something seriously wrong with him. This little boy was sick!

  Looking down in his hands, he had a paper pouch with the words, "Important Documents," written on them. Kneeling down in front of Derrick, Shane took the pouch from him and opened it.

  "Whose is this, Derrick?" she whispered. “Where did you get this from?”

  "Grandma," he rasped almost too weak to speak. His pupils were dilated with a glassy look overcastting them.

  She heard a slight rustling noise and backed away, but then relaxed seeing Donald come down the hall. Donald looked healthy and robust, but his deep brown eyes, so much like her mother’s, were filled with sadness.

  "Come on Derrick," Donald said to his brother "If Grandma sees you up, you're going to have to take some more medicine."

  Donald took his brother's hand and led Derrick back down the hall.

  Opening up the pouch, she looked through copies of legal documents. There were birth certificates of Donald, Derrick, and Trudy’s and a life insurance policy for each one in the amounts of fifty thousand dollars. Bethany was the secondary benefactor for Donald and Derrick, but the main benefactor was Trudy. This didn't seem out of the ordinary and there was nothing suspicious about having policies out on Bethany's child and grandchildren.

  ‘So why did Derrick have this’? Shane wondered.

  There was another birth certificate in there and Shane read in shock that Trudy wasn’t Bethany’s first child. There had been a brother, but attached to the birth certificate was a death certificate listing cause of death as an upper respiratory infection. The boy had died at six years of age.

  There was a thicker document in the back of the pouch. She took it out to see it was part of the condition of her trust. The main initial page was not on it, which would name all parties in the document.

  Highlighted on the third page was a clause that read, "Upon death of all related siblings between Lila Keaton and the giver of the trust, the monies will cease from the giver and monies left over will be given to the trusted child(ren) or if none the next of kin to do with as they may. Also at this time, all association between the giver and above law firm will be done with."

  She stopped reading because she heard footsteps from upstairs. They were heavy and she listened closely noting it was Budrick. He came downstairs, used the bathroom and went back upstairs.

  Going back over to the counter, she dumped the grinds into a plastic sandwich bag, and then put this bag in her pocket. With haste, she left the house just as silently as the morning sunrise.

  To avoid suspicion, she left a note on Evan's door to let him know she wanted to take her finals early so she could get to her new internship. She promised to call him later. If he was spying on her for Bethany, then she was sure this would get to Bethany.

  This t reminded her that she had not gotten the cell phone back from Andrew. She made a mental note to do that today.

  Before reporting to her first class, she went to the college's laboratory and asked a friend for an analysis of the coffee grinds. Jeremiah Sanchez was majoring to become a forensics technician and she had assisted him in several English classes in the ninth grade. He was also an early riser and he had been in the lab since six am that morning. Jeremiah, with his Hispanic dark good looks, was happy to help her out.

  "Does this mean I could possibly get a date with you, Bella?" he asked, giving her a dark flirtatious wink.

  Shane blushed and fixed the collar on his lab coat. She responded in Spanish, "No Jeremiah, but I will give you my undying gratitude." After kissing his cheek, she left him her cell phone number and reported to her first class.

  She had brought two changes of clothes for the day. After her third class, she was mentally exhausted, but in high spirits.

  The professors of these classes had given her the option of taking the final a week early before the end of school, so students could go on winter break early and she had opt to do this. Passing them was challenging, but she knew as she took off towards Downtown Detroit, she had aced all three finals and would be free for a while, except for finishing up all the work Professor Henderson had given her. She was sure she would be able to accomplish it even with Andrew keeping her busy on her internship.

  By the time she had gotten to the Detroit Institute of Arts Café ten minutes after twelve, she was a nervous frazzled wreck. Looking over the crowd, she didn't see a familiar face and became disenchanted clearly expecting Paul to be there. Turning around, she bumped into a large chest. Looking up to apologize for her clumsiness, she met those midnight blue eyes that seem to comfort her instantly.

  "Shane?" he asked to be sure. "You look beautiful. Even more beautiful than I remember." He hugged her before she could get a word out and kissed her cheek. The natural smell she remembered from the night they met burst into her senses arousing and heightening her breathing. He wore a light green dress shirt with no tie and dark colored casual pants.

  Returning his embrace, she looked up into his delighted face.

  "I didn't think you would come," he said almost too overjoyed and kissed her cheek again.

  "I had my reservations," she admitted honestly.

  Taking her hand, gently he led her over to a table near the wall. "I was about to give up on you, but something told me to come back and check."

  "I'm glad you did." Shane didn't realize it until then, but she really wanted to see Paul again. He seemed to make her feel as if she mattered as a person and this was so important to her.

  They talked in great detail. Mostly he asked questions about her. She didn't mind that he gave evasive information about himself. Just the fact that she had someone to share her accomplishments with made her feel good inside. Paul listened with an open ear and heart.

  With his lips he praised her good fortune while his eyes were mirrors, of care and concern. Shane couldn’t believe the chemistry they formed and she could see in his eyes that he felt it too. They became instant friends, like they had known each other for a long time.

  She found out he had never married and worked like a horse in his own business.

  “I work mostly from home lately because it’s more comfortable,” he explained. He rarely found time to do anything else, but the free time he did have he indulged in hobbies. He had loved in the past, but the women
could never understand how much work meant to him.

  ‘He was so sweet,’ Shane surmised. He had a passion inside of him and he was so full of life and vibrancy, it was infectious. She realized she was missing so much in her life by never allowing herself to fall in love or even getting her heart broke. She felt she could fall in love with Paul.

  Not bothering to order food, they continued to talk until it was one-thirty and she would have to get to Andrew's office by two.

  Their surroundings faded away and she felt they were at the table all alone and no one else existed and she didn’t want reality to ruin their moment, but she knew she had to get to work. Paul understood.

  Taking her hand in his, Paul asked, "When can I see you again?"

  Shane rolled her eyes heavenwards wishing she didn't have to go to work, but she was too dedicated to her career to not go in on her second day. Licking her lips thoughtfully, she said, "When would be a good time for you?"

  "Well you said you finish your internship tonight at eight, we could meet at my place and talk some more?"

  It was crazy, yet it seemed to make so much sense. Never in her life had she been so reckless, but Paul had this affect on her damn her inhibitions, she really wanted to be with Paul.

  She agreed to meet him and he wrote down directions to his home in Harper Woods. He walked her to the company car she had parked in the underground parking structure. Though filled with cars, no one was around them.

  “That’s a pretty color,” he noted looking at the vehicle. Those sensual blue eyes returned to hers and he cupped her cheek with his hand as if the need to touch her was very important. “You’re beautiful, Shane. Don’t you ever let anyone tell you differently.”

  For some reason she needed to hear those words from him and she smiled gratefully up at him.

  Paul leaned in and ever so gently brushed his lips against hers. The kiss was a sumptuous tantalizing caress, which invoke those fires of desire deep within her.

  Moving her arms around his shoulders while standing on her tiptoes, she deepened the kiss; parting her lips and feeling his warm tongue slide easily into her own mouth. He tasted like the rich sweet juice they had just been drinking and more. Her heartbeat was about to explode, as he seemed to engulf her breath, molding her body against his own. She moaned in longing lavishing in his oral contact, wishing she had time for more.