Krista’s mind went backwards, remembering. It made sense. Lots of sense. “Maybe. Now I think of it, there isn’t any other reason why you and Ben would be moved down here. You and Ben together makes sense, but you’re right, Tory didn’t know I fit into that equation.”
“People from the San Francisco office said Sean wouldn’t work with them. If he wasn’t coming here, he wasn’t even going to accept a job offer. Could have had his pick of women, too, but he wouldn’t even climb in the sack with any of ‘em in case you found out. Tory didn’t even push. Had here in mind for Sean the whole time. Though, it would have been San Francisco if you’d stayed, obviously. Tory knows how well you two work together.”
“Marcus, I don’t want to hear any of this. I never asked you to pick sides.”
“You think I’m crazy enough to pick sides between you and the young stud? Usually I would be behind you because you always get what you want. But Sean…Sean is the king of always getting what he wants. I’ve been sitting back and taking bets with you two.
“Speaking of, what do you want from Sean? He obviously wants you back, but you’ve got your road block up. Doesn’t look like you’re bending. Which means, he didn’t give you what you’re looking for. What are you looking for?”
“What are you talking about? Nothing. To be left alone. By all of you!”
“Nah, not buying it. First, everyone loves me, so that can’t possibly be true. Second, I think you want him to prove his love. That’s what I think. Old Hollywood style. He messed up and now heneeds to redeem himself, right?” Marcus leaned in with a gleam in his eye.
“What…No! I don’t know. That’s not why I came down here. I want to buy information.”
Marcus was about to keep going, then stopped. If he was a shark, he would have just smelled blood. “Speak.”
“Nice, Marcus. I’m not a dog. Listen, I am up against the boys’ club of upper management. They’re going to be spreading some awful rumors about me at this company thing. I want some dirt that I can fling in their face if I need to.”
“You came to the right place. What kind of dirt?”
“I don’t mean normal dirt that other people know. I mean serious dirt. I want to embarrass them, and shove it in their face. Discrediting dirt, you know?”
“Oooooh. A challenge. They don’t have many friends. Okay, I’ll see what I can do…for a price.”
“I figured. What is it? I don’t imagine I can just sleep with you and call it a day?”
“’Faid not, Geegee, not my type. You have an innie—I like an outie.”
“Eww.”
“Homophobe. And anyway, you are a prude lately. No. You want me to get unattainable information, then I want you to do the same for me.”
“People don’t like me enough to reveal things, Marcus. They don’t even like me enough to talk to me, period. You know this…”
“I want to know what is really going on with you and Sean.”
He said it as if he had a vested interest. He was drop-dead serious. This wasn’t a game to him.
“Marcus, I just don’t see why you care so much. Plus, that is not information I want the whole company knowing. I have it hard enough here without that kind of stuff getting to the boys’ club.”
“This isn’t to spread. I want to know. I love you both. You are like family to me. I want to know what is really going on.”
“You know the history. I just… I’m just really hurt, which makes me really afraid of getting more hurt. I don’t trust him with my heart anymore.”
“From the beginning.”
Krista looked at him incredulously. “No.”
“Geegee, listen. Knowledge is power. When I was little, my parents were in the middle of a messy divorce, and as the youngest, I was always sent to ferret out information. My brother and sister thought I was the cutest, so they thought I could get it. Well, it turned out that all my parents really needed was an ear to listen.”
“Did you keep them from getting divorced?”
“No actually, but I kept them from being enemies. My dad was g*y. Divorce was inevitable.”
“Well at least coming out was easy for you.”
“Wrong again. He didn’t want me to be g*y because it is a harder life than being straight. He wanted his children to have it easy. I mean, we’re black, so we already have a struggle. Add g*y and my dad thought I was doomed.”
“Little did he know that you were just a jerk.”
“Geegee, no one likes to talk to you because your jokes are terrible. Now, get comfortable and spill.”
Krista slouched. “I’ll tell you part of the story. You can hear some of my dramatic history, but Sean’s secrets are his own.”
“Fair enough.”
“And for this, you better get me a golden key into that boys’ club.”
“I’ll give you a golden grenade, doll. Now, spill.”
“Not here. It’ll lead to tears. And not alone. Kate and Jasmine will need to be there. Might as well bring Ben, too. He can fill you in on the fight between Sean and my Ex.”
Marcus’s eyes got big and an excited grin spread across his face. “If you two get together one day, can I talk about the fight?”
“In generalities, I guess. No details. I’m sure you’ll know why when you hear about it.”
“I saw why when I saw your neck, Krista,” Marcus said seriously.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out what kind of man Jim was.
“Okay, drinks tonight.”
Marcus acceded and Krista got out of there. She really hoped he could find something unusual. Talking about her and Sean’s sordid history was a steep price to pay.
Chapter Eleven
Thursday morning was a mess of travel plans and arrangements. The night before, as promised, Krista had told Marcus all there was to tell about her and Sean. She made sure to note it was all her perspective, but she was honest. She glossed over the Jim stuff, told him nothing about Sean’s stuff, and had to break for half an hour when he guffawed over the whipping incident when she’d gone to the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco.
She arrived to the hotel and got her room key from the check-in desk. She would be sharing with Sean’s assistant, who was a nice woman, but probably planned to go bed and rise early. What’s worse, she would be doing all that sober. No fun. Krista was still in her twenties—barely, but it counted—free dinner and drinks were a godsend, and damned if she wasn’t taking advantage of it.
The hotel was fabulous! They were in Boulder, Colorado, of all places, with plush furnishings, marble, glass, and brass everywhere. From the outside, the hotel looked like a boring, big, square block. The architecture wasn’t anything special, not giving the viewer high hopes.
The inside, however, was very cool. The very middle was hollowed up to about the eleventh floor. From the glass elevator, which traveled up the side of the hallowed area, one could see the bar and surrounding tables, a lounge with a piano, a seating area, and the walkway into the restaurant, which was further into the building.
Krista’s room was a business suite with a desk, a living room area with a TV, couch and chair, and a separate room with two queen beds and a bathroom. Being tired from traveling and staying up too late the night before telling Marcus all her woes, Krista headed straight for the bed.
Before she could get there, however, she heard, “Helllloooooooo?” in a high, sing-song voice.
“Hey,” she said as she dropped her stuff on the floor next to the bed without a book on it.
Janice came out of the bathroom, her face newly made up and her hair sprayed into a sort of old lady, curled style. She was mid-fifties, stocky, sweet, and chatty. She dressed in vests and shirts of the same style as Mary Poppins’s carpet bag.
“I left half the closet and drawers for you,” Janice said with a smile as she walked over and opened the drawers.
“Oh, that’s okay. I’ll just keep my clothes in the suitcase.”
“No, dear, that just won’t do. I have strict orders to make sure you hang your things.”
“From whom?” Krista said indignantly. Sean had another think coming if he was getting his assistant to boss her around.
“That handsome gentleman with that smile of his!”
Marcus. She should have known.
Krista sighed loudly, just to let Janice know that she was put out, and started hanging her stuff. Janice paused a second to make sure it was being done properly, and then walked back to the bathroom, muttering something about her daughter and women her age. Krista didn’t need to listen too closely to know the general gist. You hear one mother, you’ve heard them all.
After Krista hung up her crap, to the peeping eyes of Janice who apparently needed to make sure it was done properly, she blessedly laid down and closed her eyes for a second.
“Krista, honey, you need to get up now. Time to get ready.”
On what planet did Janice think Krista actually needed three hours to get ready? Really?
Trying not to be angry, Krista opened her bleary eyes and pointedly looked at the clock. The large red letters said 2:30. What seemed like one second was two-and-a-half hours.
“Crap!” Krista jumped up.
“Language,” Janice said with a tsk.
“Janice, this is dire. You have to help me get ready. Please?!”
Janice put her hands on her h*ps and scowled. “Okay, hurry up and shower.”
Krista thanked her profusely, nearly promised the woman her first born, and high-tailed it to the shower. Five minutes and a quick scrub later, she was back in the room, grabbing a thong and a bra. She turned to the suit she’d left out, and saw that it had been switched out. Then she realized there were voices in the outer room.
All sound stopped. She froze, they froze—it was like a house full of people realizing there was a burglar in the other room. Each party listened for the other’s movement.
Finally Marcus broke the silence. “Geegee?” He entered a second later.
“Marcus! A little privacy please?”
Marcus just laughed. “No need for the pillow shield, doll. Not interested. Now hurry up, I’m missing things. Put on the suit I picked out for you. Honestly, thank God for me, cause you have no taste.”
“Marcus, get out! I need to get ready.”
“I know. Hurry!”
Giving up on modesty, and being that Krista at least had on her undies, she jumped into the suit and dashed to the bathroom for hasty hair and makeup.
“I was wrong,” Marcus yelled, “you do have taste. That bra and panty set is chic!”
~*~*~*~
Marcus left a frantic Krista for the outer room where a calm receptionist and a nervous Sean were waiting.
“She’ll be ready in a jiff,” Marcus said as he sat into the couch and immediately lounged.
Sean looked over his notes. “Marcus, you’ll go down with her. Introduce her around. Help her network. I’ll follow with Janice. I want to keep distance between Krista and myself.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Marcus asked.
“There’ll be a lot of rumors about her and me. I don’t want to emphasize that by constantly being seen with her. Plus, when she has a chance to assess the situation on her own, she’ll choose the best path to the goal line. If I’m there she’ll just wait for me to lead.”
Marcus leaned forward with an incredulous expression. “Is the young stud admitting that he doesn’t know the best way to accomplish his giant list of achievements?”
“I know the best way—point it out to Krista and let her do all the hard work so I can walk in and collect the prize!” Sean grinned.
Marcus started laughing. “I’m going to tell her you said that.”
“I would tell her myself but she’d probably slug me.”
It was then that Krista walked out in a form fitting skirt suit that was classy, professional, and feminine.
“Sean? Shouldn’t you be downstairs?” Krista asked in a panic.
He smiled slowly and his eyes drifted down her body. “You look great.”
Krista’s face flushed as Marcus said, “All my doing. C’mon Geegee, we have people to meet.”
Krista groaned. “I hate people. I’m not a people person.”
~*~*~*~
Sean’s eyes followed her out with a look that could melt metal. It fried every thought in her head, which was why, halfway to the meeting room, she finally remembered her lack of tights.
“Crap! I have to go back.”
“Why?” Marcus said, grabbing her arm to keep her walking.
“I forgot tights.”
He glanced down. “It is too hot for tights, and you are too young for nylons, Geegee. You look good. You have nice, tan legs. Bare legs are best.”
“I’ll stand out, Marcus.”
“Geegee, you are a young, hot female. You are already going to stand out. And let me remind you, I am a hot, black, g*y male in middle America. I’ve got you beat.”
“I noticed you didn’t mention young…” Krista said with a snort.
“Shut up. Being a bitch doesn’t become you.”
Krista laughed as they rounded a corner and were immediately thrust into a group of mill-and-flocking professionals on their way into a large banquet room. Krista’s legs started tingling. “Oh my God. Who are all these people?” Krista said as her legs would no longer carry her forward.
“C’mon.” He plucked at her arm.