by S. J. Lewis
“It won’t be the exact same thing,” Ron answered from the back seat. “And it won’t be for as long, so don’t go wandering off.”
The light changed. Lisa hit the gas. It wasn’t as cold as it was yesterday, but snow was falling. So far it was only a thin sprinkling of flakes, but the weather report called for heavier snow in the evening with an accumulation of four to six inches by morning.
“I don’t see how this is supposed to work,” Lisa shook her head. “I was thinking that maybe you’d lure her to a spot where one of the teams can finally get her.”
“That would ruin everything,” Ron said. “I told you. She’s searching for her outlaw, whether she thinks of it that way or not. I have to do this alone.”
“You’re just winging it, aren’t you?”
“I was yesterday: Not today. Today, I know exactly what I’m doing.”
“You think knocking out that street punk really impressed her?”
“It was the way it happened. I appeared out of nowhere, stopped the bad guy, returned her handbag, and disappeared before the cops showed up. Doesn’t that strike you as at least a little bit romantic?”
“Well, maybe,” Lisa admitted grudgingly. “But I’m not really the romantic type. By the way, I checked up on that punk anyway. You broke his nose and knocked out one of his teeth. Good work.”
“I can never be sure when you’re trying to pay me a compliment.”
“He’s a druggie with a long rap sheet. He was out on parole when you clocked him. He won’t be out again for a while. That’s a good thing.” The light up ahead turned red. She applied the brakes carefully. The streets were getting slick.
“What makes you think she’ll even come out on a day like this?”
“Just a feeling,” Ron replied. “I think she likes getting out of the hotel for a while. I think she likes taking walks, too. I think she may be hoping to run across me again as well. A little snow won’t bother her.”
The light turned green. Lisa pulled forward. She scanned the street ahead.
“Looks like we’ll have to circle the block again,” she said.
Ron checked his watch. It was a bit early for Elizabeth Anne to be coming out anyway.
“That’s all right,” he said. “The company’s paying for the gas, right?”
Lisa snickered. “You’re running up quite a tab these past couple of days. Whatever you’re trying to do, I hope it works.”
“So do I,” Ron said. “But I have a good feeling about this.”
Between the weather, the traffic, and pedestrians who crossed in the middle of the block, they traveled slowly. Even so, they had just completed their third trip around the block that the hotel occupied and had started on a fourth when Ron happened to look out of the rear window. He saw Elizabeth Anne, just rounding the corner behind them.
“There she is!” he told Lisa. “Behind us. I’ll get out once we’re out of her sight.”
“I thought you wanted her to see you.”
“Not getting out of a car right in her path,” Ron said. “On second thought, keep going straight.”
“You’re the boss,” Lisa gritted. She gunned the engine to get across the intersection before the yellow light turned red. Halfway down the next block, Ron had her stop so he could get out. Today he was wearing the same camelhair coat, but no suit. He’d dressed for comfort and warmth today. He’d also brought his new hat. There was the usual annoyed honking, but he’d gotten used to that. He slammed the car door and Lisa sped off down the street. When he reached the curb, he looked back briefly to see where Elizabeth Anne was. She was still walking his way, but at the moment she was looking at something across the street and not towards him. He put his hat on and walked quickly to the far end of the block. Just as he turned the corner, he took another look back. Elizabeth Anne had spotted him. She was walking quickly and purposefully, apparently trying to catch up with him. There were just enough other pedestrians on the street to make it a little difficult for her.
Once around the corner, he ducked into a store. It was a drugstore, occupying the corner of the building. He cut through it quickly, staying behind the counters, heading for the other door. He saw her hurry past it. He waited a moment before exiting the store and walking back the way he’d come. She was a smart woman. It wouldn’t take her long to figure out what he might have done.
It wasn’t exactly hide-and-seek, but it was close. He kept letting her see him in the distance every so often for the next hour or so. He was never close enough for her to call out to him. He never made eye contact with her either, so she could never be quite sure if he’d seen her. It was fun leading her around that way, but it would be very easy to overdo it. If that happened, the frustration she must be feeling would outweigh her desire to catch up to him. That wasn’t what he was after. The snow started falling more heavily when he decided to call it a day. It was a lot easier to evade her completely than it had been to play the game with her. He walked a couple of blocks to get out of the area she frequented and called for Lisa to come and pick him up.
***
“Where were you?” he asked when Lisa finally arrived.
“There was an accident,” Lisa replied “Traffic was blocked. I didn’t find out until I was already on my way.”
“You could have called back.” Ron got into the passenger seat and shut the door.
“No, I couldn’t,” Lisa shook her head. “There were cops all over the place, and they’re real nitpicky here about using a cell phone while you’re driving. Even in blocked traffic.” She took a breath. “Anyway, sorry I’m late. Hope you’re not too frozen. How did it go?”
“About as I expected,” Ron said. “Still, it’s nice to know I was right. I’ve really piqued her interest. Now I move in for the kill.”
“Now?”
“Figure of speech. I mean tonight. She usually takes her dinner in the hotel, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Find us a nice warm place for lunch and I’ll tell you.”
“Chinese? Italian? Thai? Korean? Mexican? Greek?”
“I’m in the mood for a cheeseburger. Do they still serve those around here?”
***
“You really think this will work?” Lisa stood in front of the full-length mirror, turning this way and that to see how she looked. They’d gone on another shopping spree. The mirror had been one of the things they’d bought. Eventually it would go on the inside of the bathroom door. Right now it was propped up against a wall. Lisa’s new outfit was another item from the spree: A little black dress, high heels, also in black, and a little black purse to complete the ensemble. Lisa seemed to like it, even if she didn’t seem to be completely at ease in heels.
“It will help if you get rid of that ponytail you’re so fond of,” Ron said. “Anyway, your part is pretty simple. The hotel has a bar next to the restaurant. Go to the bar, order a drink and nurse it until Elizabeth shows up for dinner. Then you can either get your own dinner or stay at the bar. Just make sure you can keep an eye on her. When her meal is served, you give me a call on your cell phone.”
“And then what?”
“Then you can leave if you want to,” Ron told her. “Once I get your call, I’ll start walking to the hotel. If I’ve got it timed right, I’ll get there a little before she’s finished eating.”
“And then what?” Lisa persisted. She looked very cute standing there with her hands on her hips. The dress stopped about four inches above her knees. She had nice legs.
“Then I make my move,” Ron smiled. “If you want to stay and watch, feel free. She’ll either slap my face or take me up to her room. You want to make any bets on which one happens?”
“No,” Lisa grinned wickedly. “But I do want to watch and find out.”
“All right,” Ron nodded. “Now go and get ready. You’d better take the tag off of that dress for a start.”
***
It wasn’t an easy thing to wait around the apartment for L
isa’s call, but there was no help for it. There weren’t any places near the hotel where he could loiter without raising suspicions, no matter how well dressed he was. So, he had to resign himself to the long walk. That was why he’d told Lisa to call him once Elizabeth Anne’s dinner was served. He could make that walk in the time it should take her to eat it. He looked outside. The snow was still falling, but the city seemed to have some sort of strict rule about shopkeepers and property owners keeping their sidewalks cleared. That rule did not seem to extend to the streets, though. The lone snowplow that had trundled through the neighborhood earlier had done a poor job. Well, he would be walking, not driving.
There was also the chance that tonight Elizabeth Anne would be out on the town, or stay in her suite and just call room service. If either one of those things happened, he’d just have to try again tomorrow night. The chances for success then would be a lot lower, though. He couldn’t play hide-and-seek with Elizabeth Anne again tomorrow. She would see right through it. And if she didn’t see him tomorrow, well, absence would make the heart go wander. There was often a fine line between intriguing a woman and pissing her off.
He sat down carefully in the chair so as not to wrinkle the suit he was wearing and switched on the television. He didn’t want to watch anything particularly, but the sound and movement could at least distract him a little. He began reviewing what he could say to that beautiful woman once they were face to face again.
His cell phone rang. He answered it.
“Talk to me,” he said.
“Hi, this is Lisa.” For some reason, she sounded all girly.
“What’s the news?”
“Darling, I’ve been waiting and waiting for you. Did you forget all about our date? I told you that you should write it down.”
“There’s a guy at the bar hitting on you?”
“Yes, exactly!” He heard her giggle. He wouldn’t have thought of her as the giggling type, but it sounded convincing.
“Is she there?”
“Yes, of course!” Lisa replied. “I’ll tell you what, dear: I’m going to get us a table in the restaurant now. Hurry down here as fast as you can, please. I miss you.”
She hung up. She had looked pretty good in her new dress. Probably more than one guy had tried to strike up a conversation with her. She’d tell him all about it later, he was sure.
It wasn’t as cold tonight as it had been for the past couple of days. Most of the snow would probably be melted away by tomorrow afternoon. He wouldn’t have to worry about ice on the sidewalks. Some local shops were still open, so he did have to avoid other pedestrians. When he got to the hotel entrance, he checked his watch. The walk had taken him just over twenty-five minutes. He ought to be right on time.
He’d been told that the hotel prided itself on the security it provided its guests. The odds were that they kept an eye out for anyone who looked or acted suspicious. He walked confidently towards the entrance. The doorman saw him coming and quickly opened the door for him.
“Thank you,” he smiled and nodded. The doorman smiled and nodded back. If you acted like you belonged someplace, it was rare for anyone to question whether or not you actually did. He passed through the lobby with the air of someone who knew where he was going. The fact that the hotel had signs up showing the way to the restaurant and bar helped. He could have walked into the bar unchallenged, but there was a middle-aged man in the hotel livery standing behind a desk at the entrance to the restaurant. Ron walked up to the desk and looked past him, scanning the restaurant for Elizabeth Anne. He saw her seated at a small table. She had her back towards the wall, but at the moment she was concentrating on the last of her dinner. For some reason, she was wearing another one of her business suits. Maybe she just liked wearing them.
“May I help you, sir?” The maitre-d, if that’s what he was, smiled up at him, but the man’s eyes were a little suspicious.
“No, thanks,” Ron took off his hat and smiled down at him. “I’m here to meet a friend. I see her over there. Thanks.”
Before the man could react, Ron strode past him. Elizabeth Anne looked up as he pulled up a chair and sat down opposite her.
“It’s you,” she said. She seemed taken by surprise. Good.
“I’m terribly sorry, Ms. Kreuger.” The maitre-d hurried up behind Ron. “This gentleman says he knows you.”
Elizabeth Anne smiled sweetly at the man. “Yes, that’s right,” she said. “I asked him to meet me here. I’m sorry, I should have told you.”
“Oh. Very well, then. Sorry to have bothered you.”
She watched the maitre-d return to his desk and then looked straight at Ron. “It’s good to see you again,” she smiled. “I never got a chance to thank you for what you did yesterday.”
“No thanks necessary, ma’am,” Ron said as he unbuttoned his coat. “I’d have done the same for anybody.”
“Yes. I do believe you would have. But you were following me. I saw you. Several times.”
“I’m not denying it.”
“And then today I saw you again, and it seemed like you were trying to avoid me.”
“I’m not denying that either.”
She frowned. “Do you mind telling me what this is all about, then?”
“Not at all.” Ron leaned forward and lowered his voice. She had to lean forward so she could hear him. Anyone who saw them would assume they were having an intimate conversation. For one brief moment he forgot everything that he was going to say. She was wearing a perfume with a faintly musky scent.
“I’m here to fulfill your contract, Ms. Kreuger,” he said as he stared into her eyes. “I’m here to bring you in.”
If she blinked at all at his news, he missed it.
“Just like that?” she asked. She leaned back so that she was sitting upright again. “What makes you think I’ll go with you?”
“Because you want to, Elizabeth,” he replied, sitting upright himself. He smiled knowingly at her. “You’ve wanted to for a long, long time. You’ve been waiting for me for a long, long time.”
Now she blinked. Her mouth was half-open. She closed it and let it fall half-open again. “Who are you?” she asked. Her voice was a hoarse whisper.
“For now, you can call me ‘Mr. Smith’,” Ron answered.
She sat perfectly still for a long moment. He saw her expression soften. She closed her mouth again. He saw her swallow. He knew she was waiting for him to say something more. He leaned back slightly in his chair and just smiled at her. Then she seemed to blush. She broke eye contact and looked down at the table. Her hands seemed to be fiddling with the napkin on her lap. After a moment, she gathered herself and looked up and into his eyes again.
“What…” she hesitated and swallowed. “What happens now?” she asked.
He wanted to jump up and let out a triumphant cheer. Instead, he merely smiled a little more widely.
“Now we go up to your suite,” he told her. “If you had any plans for tonight, cancel them now.”
“No…no,” she shook her head. “I didn’t have any plans.” Her voice had dropped to a husky whisper.
“Let’s go, then,” he said. He rose from his seat and went around behind her to pull her chair back as she stood. “Lead the way,” he told her. She had to lead the way. Despite the company’s best efforts, no one had found out her room number. He wasn’t going to tell her that.
She walked ahead of him out of the hotel restaurant. She paused to tell the maitre-d that the meal had been wonderful and to thank him for his concern. The man seemed placated enough to smile and nod at Ron.
“I’m sorry, sir,” he said. “These days we must all be careful.”
“Of course,” Ron smiled down at him. “I understand completely.” He wasn’t certain that the man was completely convinced, but he seemed like the type who would err on the side of caution and say no more about the matter rather than possibly offend a guest.
They skirted the hotel lobby and headed towards the bank
of elevators. Elizabeth wasn’t walking with that long, confident stride she usually had. Her steps were shorter and slower. Her hips were swaying from side to side under her suit. She kept looking back, a nervous little smile on her face, to see if he was still following her. Ron would smile back, but he didn’t say anything. They rode the elevator up to her floor in silence. She stood close to him, not quite making physical contact, but close enough for him to smell her perfume again. When they got to the door to her suite, she fumbled with the card. He took it from her hand and inserted the card himself. For a brief moment, their hands touched. It was his first actual physical contact with her, and it hit him like an electric shock. He almost fumbled with the card himself, but managed to recover. He opened the door and ushered her in. She’d left the lights off in her suite, but enough illumination filtered through the drapes so that he could see her as a dim and shadowy form. She stopped with her back to him as he shut the door behind them. When she heard him set the lock, she suddenly turned around.
“I…” she began.
She never finished whatever she’d begun to say. He gathered her into his arms and pulled her close, silencing her with a kiss. She resisted for all of half a heartbeat, and then her arms were around his neck and she was kissing him back, clumsily, hungrily, desperately.
He felt drunk. He felt as if she wanted to devour him as much as he wanted to devour her. He wanted to rip her clothes off of her and throw her down on the floor. He regained control of himself with an enormous effort. Elizabeth was still clinging to him, kissing his mouth, his chin, his cheeks, any part of his face that she could reach while he fumbled open the buttons of her suit jacket. She let go only long enough for him to shuck it off of her. His hands went to the buttons of her blouse while her arms went around his neck again. She didn’t try to kiss him again, but she was huffing and gasping as if she’d just run a marathon. She kicked off her high heels while he struggled with tiny buttons that seemed to squirm out of his grasp. Frustrated lust overcame his self-control for the moment. He ripped her blouse open and roughly yanked it down off of her shoulders, breaking her grip on him.
