“Smart and sexy. My two favorite traits in a man,” Symóne chimed.
“Thank you. I appreciate the compliment,” a voice said from behind them. The girls turned to see Trevor smiling as he looked Symóne up and down.
“Oh shit! You heard that?” Symóne screeched. Her face blood red with embarrassment. Although Faye thought that it was cute how he responded to her friend, Symóne was beyond humiliated. She stepped out of line, putting her hand over her face in shame, and walked back toward the glass doors.
“Symóne…wait!” he went after her.
She only stopped right outside of the door, but didn't look at him. He touched her arm, but she pulled away from him.
“Don't be embarrassed Symóne. I'm flattered and relieved. I thought that maybe you didn't like my six pack,” he joked, getting a smile out of her. She still refused to look at him, but now she was blushing even more. The movement of her facial muscles from trying to erase the smile on her face was comical. He chuckled and she finally looked at him.
“What's funny?” she asked.
“You make me smile. No matter what you do, I just want to embrace you,” he smiled and reached out to her again. This time she leaned toward him, with her arms folded across her chest and he cradled her in his frame. She finally relaxed and let her head lay against him, eventually moving her arms from between their bodies, returning the embrace.
“Awe…how cute!” Faye squealed, standing behind them with a drink tray in one hand and two bags in the other.
They pulled apart and Faye handed Symóne one of the bags with her usual bagel and her cup of coffee with a couple of packets of embellishments. She then handed Trevor a mocha with extra cream, which the barista behind the counter already knew his usual, then pulled her cup from the tray that she then tossed into the trash can on the side walk.
“Thank you,” said both Symóne and Trevor.
“You're quite welcome,” she smiled. “I'm going up to flirt with the security guard to see if I can get him to use his season pass to get me into the game this weekend. I can see already that I need to find something else to occupy myself with,” she smirked, then walked to her building.
Symóne and Trevor were just about to take a seat at one of the patio sets outside of the coffee shop when Trevor's phone rang.
“Yes?”
“Get inside, now!” Vince demanded with urgency.
Trevor grabbed Symóne's arm and rushed inside of his building where he was greeted by security. She almost dropped her coffee, but quickly regained her grasp.
“What's going on?” he asked Blake.
“You're being watched, and a second male joined the lookout. He looked pretty upset, so we're going to have to change up your routine,” Blake suggested strongly.
“Okay, so what am I supposed to do? I have to get to work—I'm going to be late,” Symóne complained.
“We've contacted the police and gave them a heads up. Smith is going to follow them and hopefully get enough information to put a stop to whatever they're up to or get an arrest.
“You know as well as I do, an arrest doesn't mean much these days. He'll only get out in a couple of days and continue with his plan,” said Trevor.
Hearing Symóne gasp at the possibility of never getting her peace back, he changed his position on the matter. “But, we will take care of it. Once we find out who it is and what he's after, we will be better able to establish a plan of action. Right now, all we know is whoever it is, doesn't want you anywhere near me,” Trevor spoke to Symóne.
Clearly upset, she responded, “That's a problem easily rectified,” she snapped and stormed off toward the entry door. Trevor and one of the security officers rushed after her, catching up with her on the side walk. She continued on to her building and went inside, both of them following behind her.
“Trevor…just go away! Maybe we can both get our lives back if you would just leave me the hell alone!” she whined.
The elevator doors opened and she stepped inside, pressing the button for the twelfth floor. The security officer, grabbed Trevor's arm and pulled at him from further pursuing Symóne.
He leaned close to him, “Mr. Harrison, stop!” he growled his whisper. “You're being watched. This may be what you need,” he continued to whisper. He spoke into the mic on his wrist, “She's on her way up. Keep a close eye on her. I want to know immediately when she comes back down.”
“How do you mean…be what I need?” asked Trevor.
“Just follow me back to your building.”
The two of them went back to the Genesis building, Trevor more hesitantly.
“I have security on her, but we need to talk Mr. Harrison,” the officer insisted.
They all headed up to Trevor's office for a meeting. He was confident in his security team, but didn't want Symóne upset at him. After closing the door behind him, Blake began to explain the plan.
“For now Mr. Harrison, you're going to pretend to not have this thing going on between the two of you. No lunch breaks together, no more riding together, and she has to go back to her place. We need to let whoever is watching her, think she's done with you,” he said.
“But what about her safety? She was being watched at home before she stayed with me. I can't risk her safety,” Trevor complained.
Gloria knocked and opened the door. “Mr. Harrison, your first appointment is here,” she informed him.
“Give me five minutes Gloria,” he spoke with frustration. She nodded and closed the door behind her.
“I don't want her left alone for a single second!” he demanded.
For the first time in his life, he felt out of control of his destiny. If it were him this person was after, he could deal with it. He has before, but it's different this time. His heart spiraled out of control for Symóne, and he was now distracted in so many ways.
“I've got it all under control. You just take care of your case, and let me take care of Symóne. I won't let you down Mr. Harrison, I never have before,” Blake promised.
“You'd better not. There is no room for error with this!” he spat and took a seat behind his desk. “Send in my client on your way out,” he ordered and put his game face back on.
Blake and the other security officer left out, letting the client in as they left.
“Good morning Mr. Harrison,” said Patricia as she took a seat in one of the chairs across the desk from him.
“Good morning Miss Henry,” he breathed, then conjured up a smile.
“You look stressed. Is something wrong?” she questioned, worry clearly on her face.
“Everything is going as planned with your case Miss Henry. This shouldn't be a long drawn out trial. There is no way that Mr. Dennis can deny his assets and all of his account activity has been frozen pending the outcome of this trial. Trust me, he will not drag this out,” Trevor assured her.
She could tell there was more on his mind than her case, but didn't want to intrude. However, she didn't want to withhold any information.
“Mr. Harrison?” she started timidly.
He perked up anticipating the question that was apparently on her mind.
“I've received several messages over the weekend,” she revealed.
“What type of messages?”
“Text messages from an anonymous number. I know it must be Sam or one of his cronies,” she sneered with irritation. This news grabbed Trevor's attention immediately. He leaned forward and looked into Patricia's eyes.
“What did the messages say?” his demand startled her.
She fumbled to take her phone out of her purse and pulled up the messages. She began to read them one by one.
“You'll never win without your asshole attorney. You're wasting your money on Harrison, he's too busy getting busy. Oh, and…by the way, watch your back.” she finished reading. He was already reaching for her phone, while buzzing his secretary.
“Gloria! Get Mike up here ASAP!” he barked an order.
“Miss Henry,
you are supposed to tell me things like this when it happens. I need for you to file a report to the police, and your security will be increased for you and your children,” he pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly more stressed than before.
Mike rushed through the doors and without saying a word, Trevor handed him Miss Henry's phone. He did much the same to hers as he did to Symóne's, only he placed a tracking device inside the back of this one.
“Wait right here Mike, I have an errand for you to run,” said Trevor.
He then called Blake and asked for tighter security on Miss Henry and her children and informed him in code that she was under the same attack as Symóne. He urged her not to take any chances or deviate from the rules he had in place for her with the security.
“Of course Mr. Harrison. Security has been with me and my children every step of the way,” she assured him. “If this is Sam texting me, he's not going to make good on his threats. He just wants to scare me into backing down,” she added in an attempt to assure Trevor that she was not intimidated by her soon-to-be ex-husband.
“I don't take chances with anyone, Miss Henry. Mr. Dennis is a desperate man and I'm sure he knows by now some of the charges that will be brought up against him. Your divorce has turned into more than just a divorce case. Getting you everything you deserve has proved a lot more criminal activity, punishable by time in prison for him. Not only is Mr. Dennis a bigamist, but he will get time for racketeering and tax evasion. He could be going away for a long time. If he is threatening you, he's only sealing his fate with the maximum time he will serve for all of his crimes,” Trevor told her.
Patricia's mouth fell open. She had no idea that her husband was capable of the things Mr. Harrison was informing her of. She suddenly felt relieved at the thought of prison time for her husband, but then it quickly faded when she remembered the word desperate coming from her attorney. He saw the worry on her face and assured her that if she followed the guidelines set in place for her with security, that she and her children will be fine. She stood and thanked him for his tireless work on her case then left his office.
Trevor turned to face Mike, “Symóne needs a new phone. Preferably a new carrier, private number, and scramble any unknown interference. Block all numbers except mine, Faye's, and her job. No social networking or even emails on this phone until we have this mystery solved,” he ordered and sent Mike on his way.
He was able to get some work done on another case and time had gotten away from him. It wasn't until Gloria came in and asked if he wanted her to order lunch for him, that he looked at his watch then stood quickly, closing the file he was reading.
“No. I'll get something while I'm out,” he replied.
He left out of the office behind her and headed down to the lobby. As he started for the door, he stopped abruptly when he noticed the man that had been watching him and Symóne, was now on his side of the Plaza. He was in front of the coffee shop, sitting at one of the tables facing Symóne's building. Trevor noticed one of the undercover security officers down the sidewalk discreetly watching the man. Just then, a police cruiser passed by slowly, seemingly doing a routine patrol.
Symóne and Faye exited their building and started down the sidewalk toward the employee parking lot. The watcher then got up, tossing a folded news paper and a coffee cup into the trash can, and followed them. Trevor rushed outside, but was restrained and pulled back inside.
“What the hell, Blake!” he snatched away from him.
“We're on it, Mr. Harrison. It's all a part of the plan. Symóne and Faye are both in on it, that's why they are going out for lunch today. We have to get proof that she is being followed and to what extent. We put a tracking device on Faye's car and Symóne's new phone. Mike brought it to her just twenty minutes ago and explained the do's and don'ts,” Blake assured Trevor.
“Is she okay now, or is she still upset?”
“She's still upset, but not at you. She promised to call you to assure you she's okay, but her words will be limited. She's not to let on that she's talking to you,” he said, then made a suggestion. “How about we go get lunch?”
“I'm not hungry, I'm worried,” he stated. Then his phone rang, but the number came up private. He answered it. “Hello?”
“It's me, I'm fine, talk to you later,” she muttered then ended the call.
He appeared relieved, yet sad at the same time. “I wonder if she meant it, by talk to me later?” he looked to Blake for confirmation.
“Oh she meant it. Although it will look like she's going home, she will be crashing at your place at her own request. She will go inside her building, but another agent is already there. He will be staying the night there instead of her. She will change clothes in the elevator and be escorted out the emergency door at the back of the building and brought to your place in a rental car. Now, will you relax and let us handle this? It's what you pay us top dollar for,” Blake chastened him.
Trevor did sort of relax, but wouldn't be at peace until he saw her again. They did go to lunch and returned to find that things seemed a little normal for a change. He engrossed himself in work, hoping to make the day pass faster.
At five o'clock, he looked out of his office window and saw Symóne, Faye, and all of their co-workers leaving their building, headed to the parking lot. He also saw undercover security and additional law enforcement in the Plaza. His nerves were on edge, hoping that everything goes according to plan. He hung around for another hour, then headed to his car. He happily drove home, hoping to see Symóne already there and relaxed after this very stressful day.
When the valet took his car, Trevor entered the Bravo Plaza expecting to see Howard, the regular weekday doorman, but there was someone new.
“Where's Howard?” he asked the replacement.
“He's out sick Sir. I'm only here for the day,” the guy explained.
“Oh…okay,” Trevor furrowed his brows, but continued on.
He walked over to the receptionist's desk and asked her what happened to Howard.
“He called in sick. Said it was a stomach bug, but he was taking care of it. He'll be back tomorrow,” she assured him.
Sighing in relief, Trevor headed up to his condo and went inside. It was quiet and undisturbed. He checked the guest room for her but found it empty, and his shoulders dropped. He placed his brief case on the sofa and headed into his bathroom to shower and get comfortable. He had no way of contacting Symóne since her number came up private and no one had given it to him yet. As he entered his bedroom, he was surprised by Symóne sitting at the foot of his bed with her legs dangling off the edge.
“Looking for me?” she smiled.
He almost ran to her, but calmed himself. He approached her cautiously, hoping this meant they could have another good night together.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
“Just peachy,” she chimed sarcastically. “I figured since you spent all night in my room talking me to death, I would return the favor. We have some business to discuss?” she raised her brows.
He smiled and gave his word to be quick with his shower and join her. She offered to order room service, which he agreed to, so she took it upon herself to choose dinner. Trevor made good on his word and joined her in no time.
Now refreshed and relaxed, he held his arms open for her and she conformed. The feeling was so comforting to Symóne that she hadn't realized how much she wanted to be in a man's arms. Not just any man's, but Trevor's. The way he held her felt like a warm cup of coffee in the shelter from freezing rain. It was home.
The doorbell rang, followed by a gentle knock. Symóne hesitantly pulled away to let Trevor answer the door. It was room service and the food smelled delicious when he opened the door. The waiter gave Trevor the eye, wondering why he had dinner for two.
“So…Mr. Harrison,” he smiled slyly. “I guess you have company?” he continued to smirk at the guilty look on Trevor's face. He brought in the food cart as he normally would and began setting
up the dining room table.
“Yes, I do” he followed. “Thank you for being so prompt Liam. Everything looks and smells wonderful,” Trevor complimented with a smile that insinuated his bliss.
He handed Liam a tip and just before he made it to the door, Symóne appeared and stood next to Trevor. Liam's jaw dropped dramatically and the smile on his face was a combination of shock and surprise. He teasingly gave Trevor the eye, smiled at Symóne, then turned to leave quickly. He knew that this woman had to be special to be so close to Mr. Harrison. The only other women ever seen in his condo were his mom and his secretary.
After closing the door behind Liam, Trevor took Symóne's hand and led her to the dining room and pulled out a chair for her. He then sat at the end of the table where they were each on the corner closest to one another.
“How was your day?” he asked as they began to eat.
Symóne had just stuck a fork full of pasta into her mouth and had to rush to chew it before speaking. The look of timidity as she quickly and discretely made sure to not have food stuck in her teeth when she spoke, was comical to Trevor. He chuckled a little, but looked away to give her the privacy to get herself together.
“It was fine. Same as usual,” she shrugged. “…and yours?” she caught him off guard, causing him to choke as he was in the middle of swallowing when her question was asked. He couldn't help but to chuckle again, and she snickered at him in return.
“I had a lot to deal with. Two clients with major cases stopped by for routine visits to update additional information. But, in all honesty, I…missed you. It was pure agony not having the opportunity to aggravate and annoy you just to get my daily cussin. The way you call me jackass, is so refreshing,” he chuckled and she burst into laughter. The awkwardness seemed to melt away, and their night could only get better.
Once dinner was over, they went into the living room and took seats next to one another and began discussing a business plan that would allow Symóne to get a great start on her Interior Design business, while letting Trevor invest his personal funds, allowing him to build a separate business portfolio from the firm. By the end of the meeting they had a plan, and to assure Symóne that he would never be able to take control, or access her business accounts without her permission, he gave his word to have a contract drawn up stating so, giving her full and complete ownership of the business. He would only be a silent partner backing her financially, and using his connections to get her contracts with companies with an all access pass to the World Trade Center. A place that only established designers can shop in and bring their clients.
Hostile Contact (The Hostile Series) Page 9
