Tempo (8 page)

“Well look at who has shown up and you’re on time
,” Tina snarls.

Smiling directly at her my response is automatic “Good evening Tina, Mr. Scarpetti, it’s good to see you both again.” I can hear my mom telling me to kill her with kindness.

“That’s a killer outfit Karlie, how do you keep it looking so smooth,” Tina asks.

“No panties, I reply in a matter of fact manner.”

Michael’s eyes dart to mine as he sits. Do I see interest or shock in his expression?

“Ms. McKenna, you do look lovely tonight.” Michael smiles at me, but there is something under his smile that I can’t quite decipher. “I trust you had a productive few hours since we left each other this afternoon.”

Oh, now I know what question I am seeing in his eyes. He is curious as to whether I spoke with Anna. Then again, maybe he is thinking about my lack of panties. A slight smile breaks my lips. I turn in his direction and decide to torture him just a little.

“I had a nice walk back to the hotel. The weather is warm
, but the slight breeze caresses your skin.” I see his lips purse as he crosses his arms over his chest. “I had some personal items to attend to and then I relaxed before coming down to dinner.” His face is unreadable. “Oh forgive me, I almost forgot to thank you.”

“Thank me?”

“Yes, I spoke to Anna today and she said that this lovely hotel was suggested by you. I am so glad that Anna’s assistant took your advice on hotel accommodations. She also made my flight arrangements. Apparently she had me on a later flight, but she was able to book me on an earlier flight so I could rest and prepare.” There I did it, I let him know that I am aware of the truth. As I look at him, his posture relaxes and his arms drop to the table.

“Would you like to start with something to drink before we order?”

“I would love a club soda with lime.”

“Really? I would have pegged you as a champagne kind of girl.”  His smile lets me know that he is being playful. He is goading me.

“I never mix business with pleasure Mr. Scarpetti.”

“This is more of celebratory dinner than business Ms. McKenna. I insist.” And with a wave of his hand an iced bottle of champagne is delivered to our table.

“Lets raise a toast, may you both deliver the design of my dreams.” We raise our glasses and toast, sipping my champagne I look over my glass to see dark smoky eyes staring back at me.”

“Mr. Scarpetti, are you a connoisseur of champagne? I ask this because I met a man who claimed to be a vintner on the flight out here. I didn’t have a chance to ask him many questions
, but I am somewhat intrigued.”

“Actually I know quite a bit about wine and champagne.
Technically champagne is sparkling wine from the Champagne district of France, all other "champagnes" are just sparkling wine. What a crazy coincidence that you would meet a vintner on your flight! My vineyard is in Northern California. I inherited the land in Napa Valley from my grandparents.  I don’t actually produce any wine myself, but I grow the finest grapes in the valley and they are sold for a premium price to premiere winemakers around the world. Shall we order dinner?”

Grabbing my menu, I smile broadly behind it. He didn’t lie to me! He isn’t the slimy, sneaky, sleazy liar I thought he was. Selecting my dinner, I lower the menu. I feel buoyant inside. The waiter approaches to take our order. Tina orders first, oysters on the half shell for her starter and a filet for her main course. I order the organic spinach salad and oven roasted halibut with lobster fried rice. The waiter turns to Michael “And for you sir?” Michael looks at Tina and then at me. He points to me and tells the waiter, “I will have what she is having.” For some reason, this makes me feel overwhelmingly happy.

Throughout dinner we enjoy light conversation and lots of champagne.  Tina entertained us with witty stories of living in the windy city. Michael told us tales of his travels oversees to peddle his grapes. I listened intently. As the conversation lulled and our plates were cleared Michael began to explain how the next elimination would work.

“You will have the weekend to work on your presentation. We will flip a coin to see who presents first. Monday morning we will begin at nine o’clock. You will have three hours to sell me your design. Any resources you require can be made available to you, for example if you need to have access to the rooms over the weekend it can happen.  This is an unconventional situation and it requires an unconventional approach. I need a miracle. Once my decision is made you will have 90 days to make it all happen. You will live, eat and breathe Tempo for the next three months. If you can’t handle that then you should walk away now. I am going to expect nothing but 100 percent of your efforts directed at the project. Bring it all to the table on Monday, leave nothing behind. Tempo is unlike any other place on the strip. I want you to sell its uniqueness. It is sexy and sultry and mysterious and I want that evident in every inch of every room. Imagine what can happen in those rooms and that’s what I want to see. I want to see the possibilities.” Taking a coin from his pocket he readies it for the flip. “Tina you call it in the air.” As the coin is tossed, Tina calls out tails as the coin lands softly in his palm. “Tails it is. The choice is yours Tina, morning or afternoon.”

“I will take the afternoon please.”

“Done! That means the morning is yours Ms. McKenna.” Reaching into his jacket pocket, Michael pulls out several business cards. “Here is my card; it contains all of my contact information. Any questions?”

Tina and I both shake our heads no. Just as we stand and turn the flash coming from a camera blinds me. Before I know it, Tina and I are shoved behind Michael. A tall auburn haired man seizes the camera from the offender and removes the memory card before shattering the camera with his bare hands. The fury is evident in Michael’s features, his brows are pulled together, and his eyes are as black as night. Tina sits back down and finishes off the champagne as I struggle to gain my composure. I watch as Michael talks to the red haired man. Security has arrived to take the cameraman away. Michael looks in our direction and begins to walk our way. The red haired man follows him.

“Ladies this is Lloyd. He is the head of my security detail, where I go he goes. I apologize for the commotion. An over zealous cameraman was hoping to get paid this week. Shall we leave?” 

Lloyd leads the way to the elevator. Michael has insisted that he walk us to our rooms. I am shaking and my knees feel weak. Unsteady, I grab Michaels arm for support. Placing his hand over mine, I feel the same warm comfort he gave me while I was white knuckling it on the plane. I look up and into his eyes and smile.

“It’s just a camera Karlie, it’s not like someone pulled a gun on you. You are over-reacting. Get over it!” Tina’s voice is dripping with sarcasm.

I decide to ignore her and continue to walk locked onto Michaels arm. Arriving on the thirty-eighth floor Michael extricates himself from my grip. He leaves me in the care of Lloyd while he walks Tina to her room. Seeing them walk alone together causes my stomach to ache. Moments later Michael is back in the elevator. The door closes and he presses thirty-nine. My head snaps in his direction.

“Resources Ms. McKenna, remember I have lots of resources.” His smile is back. The elevator stops on my floor
, but before he exits, he leans in to speak to Lloyd. The man nods his head. Grabbing my hand he walks me toward my room. Looking over my shoulder I see that Lloyd has disappeared into the elevator.

My heart is racing as he escorts me to my room. I stand at the door and wait. I am not sure what’s going to happen
, but I know that he isn’t walking away. He sent Lloyd away so we could have privacy. He looms over me, but I am not frightened.  He raises his hand and softly cups the back of my head. I feel a slight tugging as my hair falls in waves around my shoulders. It settles midway down my back. I can hear him inhale. “Beautiful” Our eyes meet as I look up at him. I am sure he is going to kiss me. Closing my eyes, I wait in anticipation for the moment our lips will meet. He leans down and breathes in the scent of my hair. He releases a groan that ignites me. Gently he places a kiss on my forehead. “Good night Karlie.” I open my eyes and see him scan my body from top to bottom. As his eyes settle on the tail of my belt. I know he hasn’t forgotten about my lack of panties. Shaking his head he turns and walks away leaving me wanting more. I can hardly get my key in the slot. My body is shaking and my brain is addled. Finally, I enter my room and quickly close the door behind me. Dizziness overwhelms me and forces me to slide down the door to sit on the carpet. He called me Karlie. What just happened?
I will tell you what happened. That man is hot for you.
I just lost my professional edge.
You lost your professional edge when you fondled him on the plane. He likes you.
Why does he goad and tease me constantly?
He’s trying to get you to lighten up.
The conversation
I am having with myself is just compounding my confusion. I make my way to my feet and head to my bed. Peeling off my clothes, I grab the sweatpants and t-shirt I shed earlier. Dressed and ready for bed, I review the task at hand and text Anna.

Anna,

Looks like the final decision will be made Monday. I present first at nine o’clock with the woman from Chicago following me at one o’clock
.
I have been thinking about a slightly different direction and need you to overnight the Cooper Stiles fabric samples to me. I know what you are going to say and all I can ask is that you trust me. My original design didn’t quite capture the soul of Tempo and I need these bold patterns to get my idea across.

Pressing send I climb into bed and dream.

His fingers trail down the side of my face. Slowly and seductively he caresses my arm. His touch gets bolder and slides from under my arm to my hip. A heat spreads through my body; the tension is building at the apex of my legs. I watch his hands as they touch me. I can see the strength in his hands and yet it doesn’t match with the softness of his touch. I reach up and run my fingers through his wavy dark hair. His eyes are closed. My body hums from his touch. He caresses my breast and pulls away. I arch up to meet his hand. His head dips down to kiss my lips. I feel his breath hovering over my breast. Warm lips gently caress and suckle my nipple. A current runs directly to my pleasure center. He plays me like a violin.  My strings are stretched tight, waiting for the next note to be plucked. My body tenses before the crescendo takes me over the top. I look up at my lovers face, but the dark haired man is gone. Staring back at me are the sinister blue eyes of a monster. Pushing at him to get off of me he lets out a wicked laugh and then I am blinded by the flash.

Bolting up right, I look around me. Disoriented I reach for the light. My shaking hand makes it difficult to turn the switch on. All the while my phone keeps flashing. With the light on, I can see that the flash of my phone is telling me I have a message from Anna, the samples are on their way. Taking a deep breath I get up to grab some water and try to calm down. The dream is disturbing on so many levels. I was fantasizing about Michael and I think I had an orgasm in my sleep. It wouldn’t be so bad except that I have only had three orgasms in my life, two of which I slept through and one the blue eyed devil gave me.  The memory of Michael touching me is heavenly. If he can do that to me in my dreams, I can only imagine what he could do to me in person. A shiver runs down my spine at the thought. Most disturbing to me was how Michael turned into Evan. Was this my subconscious telling me to be wary, to steer clear?
It’s just a dream for goodness sake, don’t read too much into it
. The smart girl is conscious and vocal this morning.

Completely awake, I walk to my desk and begin to work. I have to do something until I can sleep again. I neatly arrange my wall covering samples, carpet samples, hard wood flooring and accent paints. Tiles are arranged by use and location; I have floor tiles, shower and tub surrounds, accent pieces and solid surface counters.  Mattresses are next. Furniture selection, lighting and art are on another board. Fixtures for faucets, showers and lighting follow. Grabbing my computer, I open my design software to the mock-ups I have created. I have produced a model for the suite of rooms, as well as the single king and double queen rooms. This will show the exact materials and their placement. The designs for the corridors and foyers look exceptional. Looking over my completed work, I am impressed that I was able to finish all of these drafts in such a short period of time. They are really good and I am feeling confident. Hopefully I will get the Cooper Stiles fabrics early enough to get them scanned so I can place them in my computer draft. I want my design to reflect exactly what he will get. No surprises. No substitutions. Feeling comfortable about the project, I start to think about the presenter. What did he say at dinner last night?  He said something about bringing it all to the table and selling the sexy and sultry. I also remember him asking to see the possibilities. I’ll show him the possibilities. My inner voice is happily surprised at my newly discovered vixen.
Lets go shopping!
Smiling, I hear her and she is right, we need a serious shopping trip, I can’t sell sexy in black trousers and a blouse. Heading back to bed with a solid plan, I pull the covers up to my chin and snuggle into my pillow. The light stays on to keep the dark dreams away.

I am awakened by the incessant beeping of my phone, reaching over I turn off my alarm. Waking slowly I stretch and yawn.
Today is shopping day, get up.
Dragging myself out of bed, I quickly shower and dress. Today is going to be an interesting day. Where does a girl go for an elegant dress and heels? Pulling out Eve’s business card, I call the front desk.