Love, Lies and Shattered Hearts

by Carol May

  Lana failed to share the little tidbit with me that they are together, which I assume by the way the woman is draped over him. He looks oddly familiar. I see blue eyes that a girl could get lost in. What is it with me noticing men’s eye color?

  “Ah, Mrs., excuse me for not knowing your surname.”

  “Jensen, Charli Jensen” as I extend my hand, which is something most men don’t expect from a woman. For some reason, I have this great urge to touch him.

  “Blaine Carlton and Clea Mandeville” as he meets my hand with a raised eyebrow. I jerk my hand back quickly after a brief handshake but not before his index finger touched my palm in a strange way.

  “Charlie is it? Excuse me for asking this” says Clea, “But isn’t Charlie a man’s name?

  This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this so I supply my stock answer, “Oh, that’s quite alright. I get that question or sometimes it’s just a comment all the time. I actually shortened a longer name.” City girl is thinking, yeah, take that. Does she actually think we haven’t heard that question before?

  Clea continues on, “We had a late dinner on Blaine’s plane as well as other things. Right Blaine?” As she gives him a sultry look that could probably assist with the melting of the polar ice caps from southern Florida, Clea continues, “I simply couldn’t eat another bite, of food that is. Baby let’s go back up to our room. We will catch up with all the festivities later. I believe there might be something I should attend to.” Laughing as she turns and walks back up the stairs.

  My pulse is racing. That is the first time, I have heard anyone use the word Baby around me since Houston called me that. I wasn’t prepared to hear it. Closing my eyes, I give myself a quick pep talk then question. Why hadn’t I actually thought about hearing anyone use it? I know I am a professional, even my conscience is telling me to get my stuff together. I will not fall apart.

  Regrouping, I look to the man standing beside me, “Mr. Carlton if the two of you will return to the tent out back in approximately forty-five minutes you will be on time for the next round of activities.”

  From the top of the stairs, Clea says, “Oh, Ms. Jensen, Blaine and I may or may not be back down but thank you for giving me a specific amount of time.”

  I can’t help but think, jerks both of them. Jerks. As Mr. Carlton stops on the stair, turns and looks back at me, for just a brief second, I can’t help but wonder if I said that out loud. I smile at Blaine Carlton and return to the dining room.

  Chapter 16

  It appears the guests are enjoying the tent activities that are based upon the movie Tokyo Joe. We turned the tent into a replica of the bar/gambling establishment from the movie. The guests are “gambling” with play money which will be turned into real money/checks and donated to several local charities here on the Florida Keys. Mr. Miltman was thrilled with our idea which also brings some great publicity to multiple causes.

  Moving throughout the tent, I am conversing with guests, checking on their needs. Hopefully, making connections that I might find useful in the future. Stopping at one of the make shift bars, I find myself standing beside the broad shouldered, blue eyed late arrival. “Mr. Carlton, are you and Miss Mandeville finding enough games to play for these worthwhile causes tonight?” Instantly, I regret the words I just said.

  Laughing, he answered with, “Oh Mrs. Jensen, I can assure you Clea has definitely been enjoying tonight’s games both inside and outside of the tent. I will be sure to let her know that you were concerned about the amount of game playing she has been doing.” With a smug look he raises his glass to take a drink, then continues on, “You obviously do not know Clea. If you did, you would understand that she is a good time girl. She definitely enjoys playing games.” Turning to look at me, he leans over and whispers “Do you like to play games as well?”

  Deciding to ignore his question, I find it my turn to raise eyebrows at him as I simply reply, “How would she feel, if she overheard you call her a good time girl? From what little I have seen of her, I think that would go over about as well as a lead balloon.”

  “Mrs. Jensen, I doubt if she would be offended in any way. She will readily admit she likes to have a good time. Knowing her as I do, her statement would be followed with something about just how hard she works and deserves to have a good time and relax.”

  Looking at him, what I see in front of me is a man with an all knowing look on his face. Well, there is certainly one thing he doesn’t know. “I am not a Mrs. I am Ms. Jensen but I prefer Charli as I am no longer married. Actually, I haven’t been married in a number of years, Mr. Carlton.” Looking up into his eyes, I feel as if this is Deja-vu. Stumbling around for a second, I continue with, “I have no idea why I just told you that as I rarely share personal information with clients or their guests.”

  “I’m glad you shared that information, Charli.”

  “What?”

  He has thrown me off my game! I am having difficulty focusing on Lana who is in my ear babbling on. How in the world can I possibly focus on what she is saying when I am looking into those crystal blue eyes. I have never seen anything like them. I think she is saying something about one of the event staff getting sick.

  Holding out his hand, he asks or rather commands, “Dance with me.”

  “Oh, Mr. Carlton, Thank you but I am afraid not. It is against my policy to engage in the festivities of the evening when Supreme Corporate Travel is in charge of the event.”

  Looking at me as if he is completely annoyed he asks, “Is it also against policy to upset a guest Ms. Jensen especially if SCT is in charge?”

  “No of course it isn’t Mr. Carlton. I would never intentionally upset a guest.”

  Smiling a slow smile that might be described as a little devious he said, “I only have two things to say to you. First, you will call me Blaine. Second, one of the first rules of business is to keep the client happy. Before you say, I am not the client, let me assure you that J. Elliot wants me to be happy. Dancing with you will make me happy, so I presume you are changing your answer Will you dance with me?”

  Looking at him, I know he is correct. J Elliot would want him to be happy. Maybe dancing with him will get my mind off of the flashback I just had to a time when Houston said something quite similar. Looking up into Blaine’s eyes, I smile a shy little smile. Then say, “Yes, I’ll dance with you since you put it that way.”

  Of course, the band changed the directions of the music and slowed it down. I must admit it feels really good to have a man’s arms around me. I know it hasn’t been that long since I danced with someone but suddenly I really need to feel his arms around me. Why, I have no idea. He sure does smell good.

  Chapter 17

  As we make our way back to the “small” guesthouse, I stumble just a little. I can’t help but be thankful this night is over. “Charli you always do this to yourself. You get so engrossed in making sure everything is perfect that you almost get sick. Are you ok?”

  “Yes, Lana I’m fine. Stop being a mother hen. Have you seen Joan?” I ask as I look down at the watch I am wearing. Thinking back to when I found it among my new jewelry pieces. Smiling, I simply stare at it for a bit.

  Lana replies, “I know she was working one of the gaming tables since a dealer got sick and couldn’t make it tonight. Let me guess, you want to get her impression of the night since she was actually interacting with guests.”

  Gently smacking her on her upper arm, I say, “We have been friends way too long when you can read my mind that perfectly.” Unlocking the door, as we step into the guesthouse J. Elliott kindly provided for us which guarantees Lana and I will remain on site.

  Answering my question about Joan, “No, I haven’t seen her. Do you know what I did notice?”

  Smirking at her, I answer, “Lana, I have learned over the years to not be shocked at anything you see that I don’t. You rarely, if ever, miss a thing.

  “I noticed that Joan wasn’t the only one interacting with the guests. By the way,
you looked wonderful on the dance floor.”

  Nodding my head, I smile just a little. “Thanks. It was nice to be dancing again.”

  “Who was he? I don’t remember him being at the check in or at the dinner tables. I know, I would have remembered seeing him. Those broad shoulders and the shade of those eyes.” Pausing for just a second, she looks at me saying, “Mercy, I need to turn that ceiling fan on.”

  “That, my friend, was Blaine Carlton. He wasn’t on the original guest list. Apparently, his schedule cleared at the last minute allowing him to join the festivities for his good friend J. Elliott. He brought along none other than, get this, supermodel Clea.” I pause just for a second to watch her facial expression as it sinks in that the SI swimsuit model, the year’s sexiest woman is here with us. After a few seconds, I continue, “Clea, seems as if she only wants to have some “festivities” with Mr. Carlton. I have no idea why she is here. She definitely isn’t going to be a pleasant person to deal with this weekend. I am just warning you.”

  Lana looks at me for a second then says, “Did I actually hear you say, you don’t know why Clea only wants to have what was it you said, “festivities” with Mr. Carlton? I am not trying to be difficult here but did you actually see the man that had his arms around you? I thought Houston was good looking but, I’m sorry to say this, he pales in comparison to this Carlton man.”

  Standing here for just a second, I am trying to find any reason to get away from my dear friend right now. “You know, I better check with J. Elliot’s staff and make sure we don’t have any other late arrivals we are unaware of.”

  Shaking her head and walking to the door Lana says, “Charli, I will take care of that. You head on to bed and try to get some rest. Tomorrow will be another long day.”

  “Thanks Lana, I appreciate it.”

  In the darkness of the night, when I am lying in bed replaying everything the day has had to offer is when I tend to let the sadness along with the pain slip in. My mind always wanders to Houston. Somehow, he just appears in my mind’s eye especially when I am tired. Closing my eyes, I am really trying to unwind but my mind wanders to the envelope that is still in the place I found it. Somehow, letting it remain there is like having a piece of Houston in the room. I know I must read the letter at some point but I just don't know when.

  My conscience is really weighing heavy on me tonight. I must stop thinking about him. I can't do this to myself. I should be evaluating the day. Following my own advise, my reflection of today's event eventually leads me to the evaluation that I try to do. I begin to replay it and think about where I would place it on a scale of one to ten with ten being the highest. Overall, I would give it an eight and a half.

  When I focus on the Tokyo Joe event, my mind wanders to Blaine Carlton. How handsome he is. Just how well I seemed to fit into his arms as we were dancing. We really didn’t have much of a conversation but it seemed our bodies did the talking. Judging by my five foot six height, he must be at least six foot six, if not taller. Lana is correct, I suppose. He is a very good looking man but he is not the man. As I lay here in bed, I gently move my hand to my breast. I feel it’s fullness as I touch my taunt nipple I force myself to imagine Blaine and what his hand would feel like in place of mine. I did notice that he does have large hands that seemed very strong. I wonder would he like to squeeze my nipples or would he softly caress my breast? Would he want to take a nipple into his mouth and suck on it? Is he a breast man? Would he be a generous lover or the type of man that takes what he wants and thinks of himself first? Before I realize it, I am moaning, in a way I haven’t in awhile. Closing my eyes as I move my hand down to the top of my silk panties, I think of strong hands and a deep voice. Bringing myself to a climax, I smile and roll over for a good night’s sleep.

  Chapter 18

  I stand in the foyer discussing the day’s events with several guests, as I notice Clea and Blaine coming down the stairs. Mrs. Freely who is a member of our group says to no one in particular, “They make a fabulous couple. Can you imagine how beautiful their children would be?” I have to agree with her. They would make beautiful babies. Once upon a time, I thought I would make beautiful babies, also. At least they would have been beautiful to me but now that will never happen.

  The morning progresses smoothly as everyone seems to enjoy the activities based upon multiple Bogart movies. The afternoon is the big draw as those willing to participate will parachute out of a plane based upon the movie Dead Reckoning. I look at the list of participants, I see Blaine on the list along with quite a few other men as well as some adventurous women.

  Just after lunch, Lana packs up and heads to the small airstrip for training and the jump. Most guests are going either to participate or to be a spectator. Just as I am about to send a group off, I hear my name being called. “Go ahead Rick and get things started. Lana will meet you there.” I turn only to notice Clea is moving toward me with an angry look on her face. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that she will be offering multiple layers of criticism Thank goodness for the Florida sun. I have on sunglasses which doesn’t give her the opportunity to see that I have just closed my eyes trying to prepare for this onslaught.

  “Ms. Jensen, why is such a dangerous activity scheduled? Don’t you have enough sense to understand that someone could get hurt or even killed?”

  Pressing my jaws together, I am trying with everything I have inside to just stand and not go full force redneck ballistic on her. Especially when she used a tone that indicates she feels as if she is superior. “Did you hear me ask you about this activity? I demand to know why something so dangerous was scheduled.” With a bitter little laugh that reminds me of all those girls back in high school that thought they were better than me because my Dad was having a hard time keeping our farm going. I try not to snarl.

  Gritting my teeth, to give me a second to gain composure, I finally say “Yes, Ms. Mandeville, I understand the risks. That is why each participant is completing a low altitude jump along with wearing extra padding in their jump suit. No one will be jumping completely alone. A certified paratrooper will jump just after each guest.”

  “I didn’t know that but I can assure you if anything happens to Blaine then I will hold you personally responsible.”

  Looking her squarely in the eye, I explain, “Each jumper is signing a waiver releasing my company as well as J. Elliot from being liable.”

  “I don’t care about any paper Blaine is signing or has signed! I am telling you, you will be responsible! Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, I completely understand but we must get going. We only have a certain window of time to complete this activity based upon the wind patterns.” Just as our conversation is complete, I look up to see Blaine standing behind Clea with a little smirk on his face.

  Turning to look at him, Clea drapes herself over him saying in a dramatic fashion, “Blaine, don’t go and get hurt. I don’t do hospitals. You know that!”

  Unwrapping her from him, he is all but rolling his eyes at her as he looks at me over the top of her head. “Yes, Clea I know”

  Stepping off to the side just a bit, Blaine looks at me. “How about I offer you a ride, Charli since you have obviously sent the others ahead?”

  I open my mouth to admit that I actually hadn’t been scheduled to go to the jump. Both of my inner girls are advising me to keep my mouth shut and just go. I really am not sure which one said it but I definitely heard, “Of course I want to ride with you.” On you would be more like it.

  Smiling, I look at him as I say, “Thanks Mr. Carlton,”

  Suddenly one eyebrow shoots up, as he looks at me. Realizing, I used his last name I correct myself by saying, “Blaine, I would appreciate that. Thank you.” All of a sudden, I hear something that sounds like raw power.

  Looking at Blaine, I see this smile come across his face that can only be caused by one of two things. Either mind blowing sex or this stunning candy apple red convertible coming to a stop in front of u
s.

  “Meet the current love in my life, my Ferrari 458 Spider. Isn’t she a beauty?” Because of my brothers, I understand the love a man can have for his car. I also understand that if my man has a true love of a car then I will have two options. Option One Love the car with him. Option Two –Leave him because he loves his car more than me.

  I heard Clea gasp from behind us when she heard him speak about this magnificent automobile. As much as I hate to admit it, I know she has no idea about cars, her best option is two. Leave him because he will always love his cars. “Spoken like a true car lover, Blaine”. As I start to get in this sex on wheels, being the true gentlemen I believe he is, Blaine opens and closes the door for me.

  Who back in Kansas would have believed that little shy Charlotte would have someday been riding in this beauty beside one of the wealthiest men in America? I can answer that myself, NO ONE. Of course, who back there would have though shy Charlotte would be living in Miami either?

  “Ms. Jensen, you seem to be lost in thoughts, is everything ok?”

  “Oh yes, Mr. Carlton everything is fine. I was just thinking about how both of my brothers would be jealous if they could see me right now.”

  Looking at me with a raised eyebrow, he asks. “What did I tell you last night to call me?”

  “Oh let me think, did you tell me to call you something Mr. Carlton?” with a shrug of my shoulders, I add, “You know, I think you must be mistaken. I don’t remember anything.”

  Smiling as he drives onto a small side pullover area. He puts the car in park, turns and says, “So that is the way you want to play this? Are you sure, you want to go with the answer you don’t remember any conversation about what I told you to call me?” With what could almost be a very wicked smile he says, “Think long and hard.”