I picked up the picture Ben dropped on the table. My hands were shaking, which annoyed the crap out of me. I threw it back down.
“Who is he?” said Sam. I looked into his eyes, knowing I had to tell him, but dreading his reaction.
I sighed. “His name is Miguel something or other. He’s a bellman at the Ritz hotel in Denver.”
Sam sat up straighter. “Why did all the color just drain from your face? What did he do to you?” he said. Ben tensed up, too.
I held up my hands. “Easy guys. It was a misunderstanding. Billy took care of it.”
“No way, Jack. He’s the reason why you didn’t want to stay at the Ritz that first day we flew into Denver, isn’t he?” said Sam.
“You remembered that?” I said, stalling.
“Yes. I also remember you said you’d tell me why, but you never did. So spill it.”
Ben leaned forward, his intensity palpable in the close cabin air. I was stuck.
“Okay…first of all, nothing really happened. This guy…Miguel…came onto me while I was staying there, and he gave me the creeps. I brushed him off as nice as I could, but he wasn’t happy about it. On the day I left, he cornered me in the hallway. It got…physical,” I said, looking down at the table to avoid Sam’s eyes.
He struggled for control. His hands opened and closed in fists. I reached over to touch his arm, forcing myself to look into his eyes. I saw a mixture of anger and fear.
“I’m fine, Sam. I promise. Billy came off the elevator before Miguel could do anything, and he…well, let’s just say Miguel won’t ever forget Billy Adams,” I said, looking away again, seeing a memory of Miguel pinned up against the wall.
“How did it end?” asked Ben.
“We left him standing there in the hallway and went down in the elevator. I never saw him again.”
“Did Billy hurt him?” asked Ben.
“I don’t think so, not really. More like scared him. His collar might have been ripped a little when Billy pulled him off of me, but he wasn’t injured,” I said.
“Pulled him off…Jack, what the hell did he do to you?” asked Sam.
“It’s over, Sam. I’m fine.”
“Tell me,” he said.
I flinched. “Why?”
“Because when I find him, I’ll know why I’m dismantling his face,” said Sam through clenched teeth, hands white-knuckling the table edge.
“Easy, Sam,” said Ben. “I get you want to defend Jack, but you going off half-cocked is only gonna end badly for you.”
“He’s not getting away with this,” Sam hissed. Ben looked at him and simply nodded. The two of them came to some silent understanding that didn’t include me. I just wanted to forget the whole sordid affair.
“Why do you have his picture?” I asked, as Ben picked it up from the table and put it back in the folder.
“Apparently he showed up at the office one morning a couple of weeks ago and asked the guard at the desk if Jack Schaeffer worked in the building.”
I gasped. “What? You’re kidding.”
“No, I’m not. As you know, we don’t give out that information. When the guard asked him to sign in or leave, he left. Yesterday, he came back a second time, and Lydia caught him studying the building directory. When she approached, he acted a little suspicious, and left. That’s when she talked to the guard and he told her about his previous encounter. She pulled his picture from the security system and sent it to me.”
Sam jumped up, bumping into the curved ceiling. Rubbing his head, he tried to pace in the narrow aisle. “So this guy’s hunting Jack? Is that what you’re saying?” he said.
“I have no idea yet, Sam. I just learned of this today. Lydia tightened up the ring, and they haven’t seen the guy since. Now that I know who he is, I can find him and deal with it. And you…you need to stay out of my way and leave it alone,” said Ben.
Sam glared at Ben. “How soon?”
“How soon what?” asked Ben.
“How soon until you have him?”
“Have him? Sam, so far all he’s done is ask a simple question. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“He saw the directory. The company name is on it. He obviously knows Jack works there. Why is he looking for Jack?”
“I don’t know, but I will. I promise you, I’ll find him, and I’ll handle it,” said Ben.
“When? Why aren’t you calling someone right now? Why are we wasting time?” asked Sam, his voice getting louder.
I stood up and moved closer to him. He looked into my eyes, and I could see the fear rising behind the anger.
“Hey…big guy…I’m safe. I’m right here…with you. Ben’s got this. Trust him.” I stroked Sam’s arm. “For all we know, maybe Miguel just wants to apologize to me or something.”
Sam snorted. “Yeah, right. More likely he’s coming back to finish what he started.”
“We don’t know that,” I said softly.
Sam’s eyes teared up. “I’m not gonna let you get hurt like Kat did,” he whispered.
I pulled him into a tight hug, and he wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in my neck. I felt his tears fall and run down inside my collar. I rubbed his back, not knowing what else I could do. Obviously Sam had some unresolved emotions where his sister was concerned.
“When we land, we’ll keep the security tight,” said Ben as he stood up. “I’ll be next to you the whole time. I’ve added full-time agents at the house round the clock, and the office building is on partial lockdown until we find this guy and figure out what he wants. Jack will be safe, Sam.” Ben rested a hand on Sam’s shoulder for a moment, then squeezed around us and returned to his seat.
Nancy pushed aside the curtain separating the cabin from the galley and stopped hard in her tracks. She took one look at Sam and turned around, only to return with two chocolate chip cookies.
“I saved a couple,” she said. Sam inhaled, stood up straight and looked at the plate in her hand.
“Go ahead,” I said, smiling. “You know you want them.” He gave me a thin smile, wiped his eyes with his fingers, and grabbed the cookies from Nancy. I mouthed a silent “thank you” and she nodded.
“Let’s sit down. We’ve had enough excitement for today,” I said. He followed me to the leather couch and sat next to me, eating his cookies in silence. I squeezed an arm around his waist and leaned my head on his shoulder. He stared out the windows on the other side into the darkening night sky, looking for something I couldn’t see.
It was late when we landed. Everyone was tired. Gary had spent the whole flight reviewing case notes for a court appearance the next day. Nancy had declined help with anything in the galley.
Ben told Sam and I to stay on the plane until he pulled the car up to the front stairs. He had left it in the hangar on Monday. I thought it was all a show to reassure Sam, but I said nothing. I would do whatever I had to, to make this easier on him.
Sam put his arms around me and held me close on the drive home. We said almost nothing. I was asleep against his chest when the car slowed to a stop at the gate. Sam shifted and I sat up straight, rubbing my eyes. There were two guards standing watch at the gate.
One of them walked up to Ben’s open window. I didn’t recognize him, but he looked the part, dressed in black, head to toe, the hard edges of his skull reflecting the moonlight.
“All quiet?” asked Ben.
“Yes, sir,” he said.
“How often are you checking the perimeter?”
“Every thirty minutes, as instructed.”
“You have the codes and my number?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Have a good night.”
“You, too, sir.” Ben rolled up his window and drove on.
The house was dark when we entered the mud room and dropped our luggage. The smell of freshly baked bread and fabric softener lingered in the air. It smelled like home. Ben said goodnight and started for the back stairs.
Sam’s stomach grumbled. He dropped my hand and headed for the kitchen.
“Hey, Ben,” I said, watching Sam’s ass disappear around the corner.
“Yeah?”
“How’s Peggy?” I asked, turning to look at his face.
He smiled. “She’s fine, Jack. Go to bed.”
“It’s just…she wasn’t on the plane…and I was wondering…”
“She flew back commercial this morning. She had a gig tonight. We’re fine. Don’t worry about us.”
“Okay. Well, goodnight,” I said, turning toward the hallway.
“Hey, Jack?” said Ben behind me. I turned.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for asking.” I nodded, and he went up the stairs.
We were both exhausted after the long, emotional week and the added stress of the Miguel situation. Sam stuck to my side as we pushed through our bedtime preparations. He at least let me pee by myself.
Once under the sheets, Sam spooned up behind me and wrapped a hairy arm around my chest, pulling me so tight against his warm body, I could hardly breathe. I didn’t care. He loved me, and I was safe in his arms.
Things were tense at the breakfast table Saturday morning. Sam paid more attention to me than his eggs and bacon, which was definitely not like him. Ben seemed on edge as well, though he hid it better.
“How was your week, Maggie?” I asked, as she flitted about the kitchen. She seemed to sense the mood in the room and was keeping her distance.
“Fine. A little lonely, with you three being gone and all. I did manage to get the big storage closet cleaned out downstairs. I’ve never seen such dust,” she said, waving a hand in front of her nose.
I stood up and carried my plate to the sink. Sam was up and next to me in a flash.
“Sam…finish your breakfast. I know you’re still hungry. I won’t leave the room until you’re done, I promise,” I said. His eyes said he wasn’t sure he believed me.
“There’s more bacon in the warming drawer, Sam,” said Maggie.
“Eat, Sam. You’re no good to us if you starve to death,” said Ben from behind his newspaper. He had a stack of them from the week prior. He couldn’t get USA Today in Rhode Island? Whatever.
Sam looked at me, silently asking me to stay put. I nodded and he reluctantly returned to the table after Maggie dumped a small stack of bacon on his plate. I felt his eyes on my every move as I helped Maggie clean up. I was surprised she let me.
“How’s Charles?” I asked, rinsing dishes and handing them to her to put in the dishwasher.
“He says he’s fine. I made us an appointment at one of the doctors on that list your assistant sent me. We’ll see if he actually goes.”
“Has he had any more chest pains?” I asked.
Maggie sighed and looked out the window over the kitchen sink. The sun was just rising above the pine tree tops. “I wouldn’t know. If I ask, he says he’s fine and leaves the room. I’m so worried about him, Jack. I know he doesn’t like doctors – never has – but this is…it’s different. Something’s wrong,” she said, and the dam broke.
I dropped the wet dish cloth and wiped my hands on my jeans. I went to pull her into a hug, but she pulled back, embarrassed.
“I’m fine,” she said, wiping her eyes with the dish towel. “Look at me, carryin’ on, when I’ve got a mountain of laundry to wash. You boys put all your dirties in the hampers?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said with a big grin. She smiled at me, then put a hand against my cheek.
“I’m really glad you’re home,” she whispered, then pushed past me and out into the hallway.
I looked at Sam and he shrugged. I leaned against the sink and stared out the window at the thick, swaying pine trees, hoping Maggie was wrong.
“Let’s go swimming,” said Sam, dropping his book on the floor. He was bored with reading. We were laying on the couch in the living room, one at each end, our legs intertwined. I was half way through a fast paced mystery and thought I knew whodunit, but I would have to wait to see if I was right. Sam needed me.
“Last one in’s a rotten egg,” I said, and went flying out of the room. He laughed and was hot on my tail in a flash. He caught me just inside the bedroom door and grabbed me from behind. I squealed and he threw me on the bed. I rolled onto my back and instead of going for his swimsuit, he stopped, looking down at me. At least he was finally smiling.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“For what?”
“Overreacting.”
“Really? I didn’t notice,” I said, grinning. He grinned, too, and sat on the bed next to me.
“It’s just…I love you so much, Jack, and I can’t stand the idea of another guy putting his grubby paws on you like that.”
“Then don’t think about it. I don’t.”
“Promise me you’ll do whatever Ben says, until he figures out what’s going on,” said Sam. I grabbed his hand and held it to my heart.
“I promise,” I said. I looked deep into his eyes and disappeared into brilliant pools of blue. He nodded once and smiled.
“Ready to get wet?” he asked.
“If you kiss me first,” I said.
It was a while before we made it out to the pool.
Just after five o’clock, Ben left for a date night with Peggy, after assuring Sam three different times that our security was airtight. He was moping so much, I sent Sam over to Maggie and Charles’ place to invite them to barbeque with us. We hadn’t done that since we first moved in, and Sam needed to talk to Charles about the bathroom renovations we wanted to make, anyway. Of course, Maggie insisted on making potato salad and a relish tray. Sam and Charles did the grilling.
Charles seemed fine to me. I didn’t detect any change in his manner or movements. He was never a man for many words, but he kept up his end of the conversation.
“So you want to gut both bathrooms and rebuild them?” he said, reaching for another chicken breast dripping in sauce.
“Yeah. But one at a time, I think. Right, Jack?” said Sam.
“Yes. That way we have one to use while the other is torn up,” I replied.
“I don’t know,” said Maggie, pushing her plate away and sitting back. “Seems a shame to tear out Amanda’s dream bathroom. She called it her pink paradise.”
“Exactly. It’s pink. A whole lotta pink,” said Sam.
“Yeah, Maggie. I love having Amanda’s stuff around, but it’s too much for us,” I said.
She grinned. “Of course it is. I’m not surprised. Phillip wouldn’t step foot in it, far as I know. Which is how Amanda liked it.”
“Oh? Why?” said Sam, his mouth full of pickles.
Maggie glanced at Charles, but he said nothing.
“Well…you know…every once in a while, you need a little space,” she said.
“What do you mean?” asked Sam.
“Amanda and Phillip were…I mean they loved each other deeply, don’t get me wrong. He absolutely adored her. But…Phillip was intense. He could get on her nerves on occasion, and she’d want a little distance. Just for a little while. There was always something in Amanda that enjoyed being alone from time to time. So she’d disappear into her pink paradise, but when she came out, she’d go looking for Phillip, and all was well.”
I looked over at Sam, hoping he didn’t still feel guilty about his earlier over-protectiveness.
“Hey,” I said.
“What?” he said.
“I love you.” He smiled, then reached for another chicken leg.
“So when do you want to start on the demo?” asked Charles.
“Sooner the better,” said Sam. “Jack’s got a lady who can come out and give us ideas about design, but I say we rip it out to the bones and start from scratch.”
Maggie looked at me. “What are you thinking you want, Jack?”
I shrugged. “Whatever Sam wants is fine with me. It’s his project.”
“What color scheme are you going for, Sam?” she asked, wiping her hands with a napkin.
“Something neutral. Maybe natural stones and woods. More fitting for forest living.”
“Sounds beautiful. Who wants dessert?” asked Maggie. Sam sat straight up and a hand flew into the air. I laughed. Yep, he was definitely feeling better.
“I made a cake this afternoon. Chocolate with a peanut butter frosting,” said Maggie, standing up. Sam oohed and aahed and Charles rolled his eyes. “It was supposed to be for the church bake sale tomorrow, but they requested nothing made with peanuts. I missed the memo, so we might as well eat it ourselves.”
I cleared the table while Maggie unpacked the cake from a large, round plastic cake carrier. It smelled heavenly. Sam got up and came over to the island, drooling in anticipation.
“Sam…get some small plates from the cabinet over there,” said Maggie. She pulled a large knife from a drawer and started cutting large wedges off the cake.
“Half that size for me,” I said.
“I’ll take his half,” said Sam.
“I’ll split a slice with Jack,” said Maggie. “You can always come back for more later tonight. Charles doesn’t like cake.”
“How can you not like cake?” asked Sam, turning to Charles. He shrugged.
“Never cared for the stuff. Too much sugar for me,” said Charles.
“You don’t know what you’re missing,” said Sam.
Charles laughed. “Yes, I do. About six inches around my middle. No thank you.”
“Oh my god, this is amazing,” moaned Sam as he swallowed his first bite.
“Sam…sit down for goodness sake. And slow down, you’re gonna make yourself sick,” said Maggie. She looked at me and I just smiled. I had a mouth full of cake myself.
“So the visit with the family went well?” asked Charles as we all returned to the table.
“I’ll say,” said Sam. “Jack had them wrapped around his little finger in no time flat.”
“It wasn’t that easy, and you know it,” I said. He grinned.
“Did something happen?” asked Maggie.
“We had a few bumps along the way, but I think we worked through them. Mostly they were shocked about my inheritance and the fact that Sam had moved from Hawaii without telling them.”
“What? Sam…you didn’t.” He grinned and kept eating cake. Maggie shook her head.
“I’m assuming they were at least happy to spend some time with you,” she said.
He nodded. “Me, too,” mumbled Sam, dropping crumbs on the floor. He stooped to wipe them up.
“His twin nephews were a blast,” I said. “They’re nine, and a bundle of energy.”
“They started calling him Uncle Jack the first night. He ate it up,” said Sam. I smiled at him across the table. He was right. I did.
“It sounds wonderful. Oh, to have the joy of little people running around. So full of life,” said Maggie.
“Now, Mags, we’ll get out to see Madison and the family soon. I know you miss them,” said Charles. Maggie gave him a small smile.
Sam wiped his mouth. “Speaking of little people running around, we’re having my family out here sometime in August. I hope that’s okay,” said Sam.
Maggie looked at him, surprised. “Why wouldn’t it be okay? This is your home. When are they coming?”
“I have to coordinate it with my sister. My parents might come, too, so it would six of them.”
“I better get busy cleaning out the upstairs bedrooms then. They haven’t had a good going over in quite a while.”
“Maggie, you don’t have to go to all that trouble. The bedrooms look fine the way they are,” I said.
She made a noise with a matching face. “That’s what you think. I’ll bet there’s an inch of dust under those beds. And the linens all need washing. Charles, I’ll need some help getting the curtains down.” He nodded.
I started to protest, but Sam caught my eye and shook his head a little. I shut my mouth.
“So your parents were surprised you’d moved to Denver?” asked Charles.
“You could say that,” said Sam with a goofy grin. “But they’re cool with it now. I had to convince my father I hadn’t gone off the deep end and given up his dream of law school.”
“How are the house plans coming in St. Louis?” said Charles, looking over at me.
“I’m not sure. I’ll check in with Simon at the office on Monday. Last I heard he had some architect drawing plans.”
“Architect?” said Sam. “Jack, I thought the house was fine the way it was. What’s he doing to it?”
“I don’t know exactly. He said something about getting it up to code and redesigning some of the spaces for a more open living concept. He thinks it will make it easier to resell when we graduate. I’m sure he’s right.”
“Well…I hope it’s finished by the time we move in next month.”
“Knowing Simon, it’ll get done,” I said. Sam nodded and pushed the last bite of his cake into his mouth. I still had half of my slice on the plate.
“Sam, if you’re finished, let’s clean up the grill and put things back in order outside,” said Charles. Sam swallowed and jumped up.
“Leave the plate, Sam,” said Maggie. He grinned at me and followed Charles out the door to the deck.
I stood up to help Maggie clean up the kitchen. “When’s the last time you’ve seen your daughter and her family?” I asked.
“We went out for a long weekend over Easter a few months ago. Charles doesn’t like to be gone for too long. Says things get away from him after too many days.”
“Sounds like you’d want to stay longer.”
She stared out the window over the sink. “Maybe not longer. My granddaughter is a handful. So much energy and excitement and yelling all the time, she and her friends in and out and all about. After three days of it, I’m ready for a break, too. But I do wish we could go out more often. It’s just so far.”
“Listen, I’m planning a birthday present for Sam in a couple of weeks. I’m gonna fly some of his friends from Hawaii out for a few days. We’ll do one night here, and then we’ll all go to Phillip’s island in the Caribbean.”
She smiled. “Ahh…Calloway Island. So beautiful.”
My mouth dropped open. “You’ve been there?”
“Yes. Just the once. Amanda insisted we come with them for a weekend, shortly before Phillip had his accident. It was lovely.”
“You and Charles should go again. Just tell me and I’ll make it happen,” I said.
She put a hand to my cheek. “You’re so kind and generous. You remind me so much of her.” Her eyes were moist. So were mine.
“Anyway, while I have Sam marooned on an island, I want you and Charles to take the plane and fly to Springfield. Spend as much time as you can stand with your daughter and her family. Spoil your grandchild.”
“Ugh. Sounds exhausting,” she said, but her eyes were smiling.
“Go. Be with them. Enjoy them. It’ll be good practice. Believe me, when the twins get here, it’ll be its own kind of chaos.”
She laughed. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re pretty taken with them.”
I grinned. “I am. They just accepted me into the family without question. If it wasn’t for Cam and Carter, I’m not sure how things would have gone.”
“Well, I’m glad it all worked out for the good. It will be fun to have the house full of life,” she said, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Listen to me chattering on. I’ve got a cake to make before tomorrow morning. I’ll collect my husband and we’ll get out of your hair. Thank you for inviting us to dinner. This was nice.”
I grabbed her hand before she could get away. “Maggie…I hope you know Sam and I consider you and Charles to be family. We appreciate everything you do for us.”
“Thank you,” she said, with a sigh. “We feel the same way. You’ll speak to Charles about the doctor? He’s got to go. I don’t want him finding some excuse to postpone it.”
“Don’t you worry, I’ll sic Sam on him. He won’t say no to Sam.”
She smiled. “You might be right. He told me Sam reminds him of our Adam, may he rest in peace.”
“Leave it to us. Have a great night.” She patted my hand and let it go with a bright smile, and went out on the deck to take her husband home.
We spent Sunday lounging in the sun by the pool. When we got too hot, we would jump in to cool off. Sam thought it great fun to chase me around and try to steal my swimsuit. The more I tried to fend him off, the more he laughed, which made my heart glad. Nothing filled me with more joy than hearing Sam laugh.
Of course, once he had me naked, I was at his mercy. I spent half the day slightly dizzy with a good part of my blood no longer supplying my brain. It was great fun, but by evening I was a little sore and very tired.
“I didn’t over do it today, did I?” asked Sam over grilled hamburgers for dinner.
I grinned. “Nope. I’m good, just tired. And very relaxed.”
He smiled. “Me, too. It was great visiting my family, but I love being home. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For giving me a home.”
“Sam…”
“No, hear me out. It’s not about the money or even this house. It’s about us. We could live anywhere and it would still be home to me, because it’s ours, just the two of us. The house in St. Louis, it will be my home because we’ll be there together, just like here.”
“Thank you. That means a lot to me, Sam. I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy, Jack. Happier than I ever thought possible.”
“Why?”
His eyes clouded over. “Because I thought I was destined to be alone.” I reached for his hand. He squeezed mine.
“Me, too,” I whispered. He nodded. We sat in silence for a while, looking into each other’s eyes, and just breathed.
Monday morning. Back-to-work day. I thought Sam should stay home. He was having none of it.
“You said it yourself, Sam. You need to be here with Charles, working on the bathrooms,” I said, drying my legs. He was still standing in the shower, hair dripping.
“I hear you, but until Ben has an idea of what’s going on with Miguel, I’m coming with you.” He stepped out to dry off next to me.
I smiled. “I love having you with me, Sam. You know I do. I certainly won’t tell you no, but I do think Ben can handle this. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll have him put one of the guards on me at all times. I won’t even walk to the bathroom without an escort. How about that?”
He fixed his deep blue eyes on mine and I drank it in. His love for me was overpowering at times. Times like this.
“If something happened to you, Jack…” His voice cracked. I dropped my towel and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my face in his damp, hairy chest. He hugged me like he would never let go.
We dressed for the day, suits and dress shirts. Sam’s pants were tight in all the right places, hugging his amazing ass perfectly. My dick stirred. He caught me staring and smiled. I blushed. He laughed.
We walked down the hallway hand in hand to the kitchen. Breakfast for me was toast and a glass of juice. Maggie had eggs and sausage links in the warming drawer. She was somewhere upstairs, cleaning bedrooms, according to Ben. He was already finished eating and drained his coffee mug as I sat down.
“Morning, gentlemen,” he said.
“Morning,” I mumbled, my mouth full of toast.
“When you’re ready, Jack, I’ll be outside in the car. I have a few calls to make. And before you ask, Sam…yes, I have people working on our little problem.” He noticed Sam was dressed for the office. “You coming into the city with us?” he asked.
Sam looked into his eyes, and Ben surprised me by waiting patiently for Sam to do his thing. When Sam finally nodded once, Ben nodded back. Nothing more was said.
I finished my breakfast and took my plate to the sink. I turned around and Sam was standing in front of me, causing me to jump.
“Geez, Sam…give me just a little space to breathe, okay?” He took one step back and grinned. I couldn’t help but grin back.
I took his empty plate from his hand to rinse it off. “You really think Charles can handle the demo of the bathroom by himself?” I asked.
“He said he could,” standing so close his shoulder touched mine.
“When?” I asked, handing him the first plate to put in the dishwasher.
“When I asked him last night after dinner,” said Sam.
I held on to the last plate as I turned to him. “You had this whole thing planned, didn’t you? There was no way you were staying home today.”
“Nope,” he said with a big smile. He tried to take plate from my hand, but I didn’t let go at first. He tugged a little harder, and I let go, distracted by his fiery blue eyes.
He smiled bigger in his little victory. I smiled back, secretly glad he refused to leave my side. But now I was worried about Charles overdoing it.
“Should we maybe get some help in here for the heavy lifting? Charles has plenty of other work to do around here, right?” I asked.
“We could,” said Sam. “I guess it depends on how elaborate we get with materials and the build out.”
I wiped my hands on a dish towel. “You should get with Simon today and both of you call Sheila to set up a consultation.”
“She’s the interior designer lady?”
“Yes.”
“Sounds good to me. You’re really cool with whatever I decide for the bathrooms? I’m not trying to make it all what I want, you know.”
I sighed. “I know, but honestly, I don’t have the bandwidth to make those decisions. I get too…whatever…and besides, I like your style. Your studio in Honolulu was great. I trust you and Charles to handle it. If we need extra labor, we’ll get it.”
He snorted. “My whole studio would fit in the one bathroom now, with room left over.”
I smiled. “Can’t wait to see what you do with the new shower.”
He grinned. “Maybe some handles on the wall for you to hang on to.” I felt blood rush from my head to parts further down.
“By the way, what’s my budget?” asked Sam.
“Um…I don’t think you have one. We don’t have to fly specially made tiles in from Europe or anything, but use your discretion. All the bills should go to Simon’s office,” I said.
“Got it.”
I stepped into his space and he put his arms around me. Looking into his eyes, I said, “I love you so much, Sam.”
He kissed me tenderly. My toes tingled. I sighed and pushed off his chest, tweaking a nipple as I pulled away. He jumped and laughed.
“Okay, let’s go, before I’m seriously late for work. Again.” Sam was still laughing at me on the way out to the garage.
Ben was on his cell phone for most of the drive in. I tried to look at my email on my phone, but couldn’t figure out how to open attached documents. Will would have to show me later. I gave up and stared out the window at cars rushing by, wrapped up in Sam’s arms. The closer we got to the office, the more tense he felt next to me. I was wound a little tight myself.
As we pulled into the parking garage, Ben looked at me in the rearview mirror. “Stay in the car until I tell you to get out, okay?” I nodded. He also seemed on edge, which made me a little nervous.
He parked in our usual spot, checked his gun under his arm, gave me a hard look in the mirror to make sure we stayed put, and opened his door. Suddenly three men in dark suits and darker attitudes popped out from behind a nearby concrete pylon and walked up to him. Ben did not seem alarmed. They scared the crap out of me.
In low voices, they conferred for less than a minute, then Ben turned and motioned for us to exit the car. I tried to look casual getting out. Mostly I was trying not to pee my pants. Sam was quiet and vigilant.
“Walk behind me. We’re going straight up,” said Ben.
We moved as a group through the walkway and over to my building. I resisted looking at the three strangers, one on each side and one behind us. Sam and I didn’t speak. Absolutely nothing happened.
In the lobby, Ben went straight to the desk. He talked quietly with the guard sitting there, someone I had never seen before. Then he turned and waved our little entourage toward the elevators.
Without a word, two of the men stepped to either side of the double elevator doors and turned to face the lobby, their backs to the wall. A relaxed stance, but clearly on alert. The elevator doors on the left opened and Ben gently poked my back to get moving. Sam took my hand and we rode up in silence.
Normally Ben doesn’t stick close to me when we are on the office floor. He’s around, but he’s not my shadow. Today he led us through reception, around a set of occupied cubicles, and straight into the executive office area. Sam never let go of my hand. Margie looked up from her computer.
“Well, if it isn’t the return of the prodigal.” I smiled. She saw the new bodyguard behind me. “You find a new friend on your trip?” I shook my head slightly, and she dropped it.
“Right. Well…um…” she started.
“Jack, let’s talk in your office,” said Ben. “Margie, would you join us, please.” She looked at me, and I shrugged, following Ben into my office. Or was it his office? At the moment I wasn’t too sure who was in charge. Sam was still glued to my side.
Ben stood facing out the windows. Mystery agent man stood facing the room from one corner, his eyes on the door. Sam was reluctant to let go of my hand. I looked into his blue eyes as he searched mine. He finally let go. I touched his arm briefly.
I went around behind my desk and took my suit coat off. Margie came in, wide-eyed and full of questions. I shook my head before she could start.
“We’re tightening security,” said Ben, turning from the window. “There will be a guard outside Jack’s office at all times, and he or she will be with him no matter where he goes. You leave the office, Jack, and someone is with you. You need to take a leak, someone escorts you to the can.”
Before I could stop myself, I said, “Will they watch in case I need help?”
Sam blanched. Ben almost smiled. Margie laughed out loud.
“It’s not that funny,” I said, flopping down in my chair. “For how long?”
“Until I know who he is and where he is, and what he wants with you,” said Ben.
“Who who is? What’s he talking about, Jack?” asked Margie, chewing on the end of her pen.
I looked at Ben, but he didn’t say anything. “It’s probably nothing, Margie,” I said. “There’s a guy who gave me some trouble when I first came to Denver a few months ago. He was seen asking questions about me downstairs. Ben’s doing his due diligence. I’m on lockdown until further notice.”
“And Sam is here to keep his eye on you, too?” she said, looking at him. He nodded.
“What do I say when people ask?” she said.
“Ask what?”
“They’re gonna notice, Jack. The office isn’t that big. An armed bodyguard sort of sticks out, don’t you think?”
She was right. “What do we do?” I said, looking at Ben.
“Why not tell them the truth?” he said.
“Tell them what? We don’t know anything,” I said, feeling my frustration build. I wanted to cooperate. I was used to the security. The rest of my staff wasn’t, and it didn’t seem fair to involve them.
“Maybe I should work from home,” I said.
“Sounds good to me,” said Sam. I gave him a look. Ben gave him an even harder look.
“For how long?” asked Margie.
“Just until this blows over,” I replied. She chewed harder on her pen.
“Margie, is that some new pregnancy craving? Plastic pens?” I said. She stopped chewing.
“Ha ha, very funny. No…but it’s this or donuts, and I can barely fit in my clothes as it is.” She pointed the half-eaten pen at me. “And you’re changing the subject. Why can’t you work here?”
“Because it’s not fair to everyone else.”
“Says who? We need you here,” said Margie, forcefully. Even Ben looked at her, surprised. The man in the corner didn’t flinch.
I looked into her eyes. “Margie, what’s going on?”
She looked down at her notepad. “Nothing. It’s just…you’re like…I don’t know, things are just calmer when you’re here.”
“I don’t understand,” I said.
She sighed. “Todd would kill me for saying this, but he doesn’t have the same way of dealing with the guys that you do.”
“Still not following.”
“Okay…take last week. Simon and Danny got into it because Danny doesn’t like the accounting systems the new hotels use. Says they’re antiquated and too difficult to integrate into our system. Simon doesn’t want to spend the money and time to build new ones. So they took it to Todd. He tried to listen, but then they all started arguing and it got louder, and I could hear Todd yelling at them, so finally I went in there and told them to be quiet. The whole office could hear.”
“And did they?” I asked.
“Well…yes, but that’s beside the point. You would have handled it better. You’re more…reasonable? I don’t know…something…but whatever it is, we need you here.”
I didn’t know whether to be flattered or frustrated. I threw my hands in the air and looked at Sam. His expression said, “I told you so.”
I sighed. “Seems we have a dilemma, then. If I’m here, my security is, too.”
“Then I think you’ll have to tell everyone what’s going on. Otherwise they’ll just worry and talk among themselves, and we’ll never get any work done around here.”
I smiled. She was a smart office manager. “Fine. Cater lunch for everyone today, and call a meeting. I’ll explain what’s happening with the security, and give people a chance to ask questions, not that I have many answers.”
Margie smiled back. “You got it, boss.”
I looked at Ben. “Anything else?” He shook his head, then nodded to the guy in the corner. He nodded and stepped just outside my office door.
“I’ll leave you to your work,” said Ben, heading for the door.
“Ben? Wait up a second. Margie, give me a few minutes. And see if Todd has some time in his schedule for me this morning.” She started to protest, but I held up a hand and smiled. She left.
Turning to Ben, I said, “Are you okay if I spill the beans to the staff? I thought maybe they could keep an eye out for Miguel, as well.”
He shook his head. “Leave that to me and my team. We don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
“Hurt? Do you think it would come to that?” asked Sam.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s the problem. This guy left his job at the Ritz a month ago, and seems to have disappeared. I’ve got a meeting with their head of security later today, see if I can get him to tell me what he knows.”
“Why? Did something happen?” I asked.
“I’m not sure, but when I spoke to the hotel manager, she was vague about why he left. She clearly didn’t want to talk about it. She politely, but firmly, brushed me off.”
Sam had that same look of fear in his eyes I had seen on the plane. I hated it. And Ben’s paranoia wasn’t helping.
“Are you sure we aren’t overdoing all this cloak and dagger crap? I mean, am I even in any real danger?” I said.
Ben stepped closer and looked hard at me. “Did it ever occur to you that you may not be the target?”
“What do you mean? And why are you looking at me like that?”
He made a face. “Think about it. If this guy Miguel was into you, and you blew him off, and now you’re with someone else…you do the math.”
I jumped up, reaching for Sam. He closed the distance between us and grabbed my hand, pulling me to his side.
Ben looked at me, his black eyes piercing my false bravado. I felt tears well up. No way was I going to cry in front of him.
“Now you know how Sam feels,” he said, gently.
“You bastard,” I whispered.
“Call me anything you like, Jack. My job is to keep you and Sam safe, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
I turned away from him and put my head on Sam’s shoulder. He put his arms around me, knowing I needed the sense of safety only he could give me. And he needed me that close.
“I’m going down to talk to the guards. Stay on the floor, and stick to your protection,” said Ben. “Sam, if you guys split up, take someone with you. Lydia and Josie will be roaming the floor. Find one of them. They’ll know what they need to do.” Sam nodded.
“You understand, Jack?” asked Ben.
“Fine,” I mumbled, staring out the window over Sam’s shoulder.
“Jack?” said Ben, demanding a better answer.
I sighed. Sam let go of me as I turned to face him. “I promise, Ben. Just…go. Find him.”
He nodded and left. As soon as he was gone, Margie came back into the office
“What can I do to help?” she asked.
“Nothing, unless you can find the missing bellboy Ben is looking for,” I said.
“Bellboy? Is this the man who caused you the trouble?”
I nodded. “He used to work at the Ritz, but he’s no longer there. We don’t know where he is.”
“My sister Nancy works in the hotel industry. She knows everybody in town. I’ll call her and see if she’s heard any scuttlebutt about your mysterious bell boy. You got a name?” I told her.
“That’s it…just Miguel?” she asked, writing it down in her notebook with the chewed pen.
“That’s all I know. He worked at the Ritz last April when I first came to town. The manager over there won’t talk.”
“Let me see what I can do. It can’t hurt, right?”
I shrugged again, and rubbed my temples. I now had a headache to go with my queasy stomach.
“Todd’s waiting for you in his office. He said go right in.”
It took some persuading, but Sam agreed to find Will and ask him to look at my phone with its malfunctioning email app. He kissed me, his lips trembling slightly.
“I’m safe, big guy. I won’t go anywhere without my shadow, I promise,” I said, trying to reassure him. He looked worried when he finally let go of my hand.
Outside my office door, I waited for my unnamed bodyguard to peel himself off the wall to follow me the thirty feet around the corner to Todd’s office. He parked himself in the same position, facing outward, next to the door.
Todd was on the phone when I stepped into his office. He waved me into a chair in front of his desk. I sat with a heavy sigh. Apparently he was talking to Larry Weiss. Todd did a lot of listening and nodding. I waited. Finally they exchanged goodbyes with a promise for beer and pizza soon.
“Welcome back, Jack. So what’s this I hear about more g-men roaming the floor?”
I raised a hand. “Don’t start. It’s Ben’s call, and for now, they stay.”
“But people are starting to talk.”
“I know. Margie’s bringing in lunch and I’ll meet with everyone, tell them what’s going on. It’s only a precaution.” Even as I said it I hoped it was true. My bigger hope was Miguel was after me, and not Sam.
Todd looked at my face and backed off. “Oh…okay. Yeah…that’ll help. I’m sorry…about whatever this is.”
I smiled. “Thank you. It’ll be short-term, I think, and then things can get back to normal. Speaking of which, Danny and Simon are in a tiff over accounting software?”
He groaned. “Ugh. You heard about that?” I nodded.
“I was just on the phone with Larry, getting his two cents.”
“How is he? Bored to tears with retirement, yet?” I said.
Todd smiled. “He says not. Plays a lot of golf. Sleeps. His heart is getting stronger all the time. I throw him a question every now and then, just to keep his mind in the game.”
“Let me guess, he said get the new software.”
Todd’s mouth dropped open. “How did you know?”
“Lucky guess. But it’s what I would do.”
“Why?” he asked, sitting back in his chair.
“Well…it’s all about relieving the stress.”
“Stress?”
“Yeah…stress. Compression and tension. It’s something my nephew taught me last week.”
“Your nephew? I thought you were with Sam’s family?” he said.
“We were. His sister Kat has twin boys, Carter and Camden. They started calling me Uncle Jack.”
He smiled. “Uncle Jack. Has a nice ring to it.”
I smiled, remembering my two little buddies. “Anyway, Carter is fascinated with bridges, and he told me compression and tension are the two main stressors every bridge has to dissipate, or it will snap or buckle.”
“Geez, how old is this kid?”
“Nine. We celebrated their birthday last week.”
“Nine? I’m getting advice from a nine year old?”
I laughed. “No, you’re getting advice from me. Dissipate the stress, Todd. Don’t add to it. Easiest way is to get the new software. It’s not like we can’t afford it.”
“Simon says it will take too long.”
“And Danny says it’s too hard to move forward with the existing stuff?” I said.
“Try impossible,” said Todd.
“I see. Let’s get ‘em in here and see if we can’t work this out.”
“Okay…you’re the boss.” Todd called Danny and Simon and I could hear them both say they were on their way. Todd looked at me. “I hope you know what you’re getting into.”
I smiled. “It’ll be fine.”
Simon arrived first. “Welcome back, Jack. How was your trip?”
“Thanks. It was good. Tiring, but good.” He nodded and took a sip of coffee from the mug in his hand. Danny came trotting in.
“Sorry. I got stopped again, people asking questions about the increased security. Anybody know what the hell is going on yet?” he said.
“Hi, Danny,” I said. “And the security is my fault. I’ll explain it all later, around lunch time. Margie will send out a memo inviting everyone to lunch.”
“Oh…um…okay…I guess. Something happen on your trip?” asked Danny.
“No, it’s unrelated. And only a precaution. Nothing to be alarmed about.”
“Good luck convincing people,” said Simon.
“Really? Are people that upset?” I asked.
“Yeah!” said Danny. “It’s a little unnerving having armed men walking around, staring at you. I had two people on my team ask if they could work from home. I seriously considered it.”
I sighed. “Fine. I guess we better move up that meeting. Let’s deal with this little accounting problem, and then we’ll see what we can do about the other mess.”
“No offense, boss, but it’s more than a little accounting problem,” said Danny.
“Yeah, and some people want to make it into an even bigger problem,” said Simon, glaring at Danny. He glared back. Really? We were twelve years old, out on the playground again?
“Alright you guys, dial it back a couple notches,” I said. “Let’s sit down and see where we are.” I moved to the small round conference table and sat with my back to the windows so I could see their faces.
After everyone sat down, I said, “Danny, tell me why the existing hotel systems won’t work. As succinctly as possible, please.”
He glanced at Todd and took a deep breath. “It’s not that they don’t work. It’s just, each hotel has its own system. Some are automated – to a point. Others still rely on handwritten ledgers, if you can believe that.”
“Why not just put our accounting system into the hotels and call it a day?” I asked.
“Not that simple,” said Simon. “Each hotel has a unique way of doing business, and most have been family run for generations. What Danny has discovered is their accounting systems reflect their way of running things. And they will be very resistant to change, when it comes to the numbers.”
“Why? It’s just accounting,” I said.
“Trust,” said Todd. “They won’t trust the numbers if they can’t understand where they’re coming from.”
“And we have enough management challenges without adding fear and mistrust into the mix,” said Simon.
I sighed. “So, Danny, the challenge is to consolidate all those systems into one chart of accounts and a single general ledger?” I asked.
He looked at me, shocked. “Where the hell did you pull that from?”
Simon was surprised, too. He looked at Todd, eyebrows raised. “Did you put him up to this?” Todd raised his hands in denial.
I laughed. “Guys…I used to be a bookkeeper. I know my way around the basics. We had three companies we had to consolidate every month, and SEC filings to write. The whole bit. Consolidations can be a royal pain in the butt, especially when it’s all apples and oranges and bananas.”
Danny smiled. “Finally, somebody who gets it.”
“Not so fast there, Danny boy. Tell him how much it’s gonna cost to write the new software,” said Simon.
Danny’s smile quickly faded. “A lot,” he said.
“How much?” I asked, glancing at Todd.
“A minimum of $250,000. My guess, it’ll go over $500,000 before we’re done,” said Todd.
I sat back, stunned. “That’s insane. Why so much?” I asked.
“I spoke with the consultants who worked on our system after we left the bank,” said Danny. “They’ll have to send a team of people to each hotel, meet with their staff, analyze what they need, and then come back and put it all together in a new system that works for everyone. Then it’s installation, testing and training on the new system. It’s a ton of travel and man hours, and they don’t come cheap.”
“Yikes. Okay…so…I see why you guys don’t want to spend that kind of money. I don’t either,” I said.
“But we have to do something, Jack. It’s that, or hire twice the staff here to manage it all,” said Danny. I nodded, acknowledging his dilemma.
A half a million dollars for accounting software was outrageous. There had to be a simpler way. I stood up and walked to the windows, gazing out at the mountains in the distance. I had limited experience and zero knowledge about the hotel industry, but at the end of the day, accounting was accounting. An idea popped into my head. It might work.
I returned to my seat. “Simon, how many hotels are we talking about?”
“Twenty four. A couple of them are jointly run, so it’s twenty different systems in total.”
I faced my team. “How about this? We bring one person from each hotel here to Denver. They bring their accounting ledgers and financial reports. We get five consultants in to meet with them. One consultant per hotel, for no more than two hours each. If they analyze four hotel systems in a day, we get all twenty covered in one day.”
Todd looked at me with an odd expression. Simon sat perfectly still, focused on the center of the table, thinking. Danny stared at me, mouth hanging open again.
“Well, don’t all talk at once,” I said.
“Jack…” started Danny. Todd put a hand up.
“Hold up, Danny. Let’s not pick his idea apart, just yet.” Danny closed his mouth and sat back. It took considerable effort.
“Alright, Jack,” said Todd. “Let’s break this down. Why do you think we can build an entire accounting system in one day?”
“We can’t. We don’t need to.”
“What do you mean, we don’t need to? How else are we gonna consolidate twenty different systems?” asked Danny. Simon raised his head.
“I’m assuming we don’t need transactional data? Just the summary numbers?” I asked.
“Yeah, but…”
“So we create a simple data map,” I said. Did Simon just smile?
“Data map?” asked Danny.
“We ask the consultants to identify each account in a particular hotel system with the corresponding account in ours. Then they write a piece of software to extract the data from the hotel system and translate it into what it would look like in our system, turning apples and bananas into oranges. Once a month, the hotels send you this converted data file, and you upload it into ours.”
Todd raised his eyebrows. “And how exactly do you know how to do that?” he asked.
“I told you, I’ve done it before. We had a similar situation, and that’s how I made it work. A much smaller scale, of course, but I think the concept still holds. It’s worth a shot, right?” I said.
Simon looked out the windows, running numbers in his head. Danny scratched his, still slightly confused. Todd was smiling. I hoped that meant he didn’t think my idea was nuts.
“It might work,” said Simon. “Yeah…it makes sense. And it would take a fraction of the time, plus it leaves the existing systems in place for now, so we don’t have that bit of turmoil to deal with. I like it.”
“Can we get useful data? Will we be able to see how the hotels are performing?” asked Todd.
Simon looked at Danny, waiting for him to answer. He was still staring at me.
“Well?” asked Simon.
Danny swallowed. “If we can figure out the optimal level of detail…yeah…we could make it work. Assuming this whole idea is actually doable,” he said.
“Only one way to find out. Talk to the consultants, see what they think,” I said.
“I say it’s worth a try,” said Todd. “What do you say, Danny?”
“Um…sure, I guess so. I’d have to see some real data, but…yeah…we can try it,” said Danny.
“Simon? You in?” asked Todd. He nodded. “Alright, let’s make it happen, guys.”
We stood. Danny reached out to bump fists with me. “You never cease to surprise me, boss. I hope this works.”
I grinned. “You’ll make it work, one way or another.” He nodded. Simon gave me a nod, too, and they departed, chatting about who was going to call the consultants with the new plan.
Todd moved around to his desk and checked his schedule, glancing at his watch. He pursed his lips, concerned.
“Something wrong, Todd?” I asked.
“Hmmm…I’m not sure. Robbie should be back by now.”
“Robbie?”
He looked up at me. “Right…you haven’t met my new assistant, have you. He had a previous engagement scheduled for this morning, and I told him he could take the time. But he was supposed to be here ten minutes ago. I’ll call him,” he said.
He reached for his cell phone and dialed. We heard ringing just outside Todd’s office door, just before a loud thud against the wall.
“Umph! What the hell?” shouted a surprised voice.
“I’ve got you, you son of a bitch,” yelled Sam.
“Let go of me. Who the hell do you think you are?”
Todd beat me through the door by half a step. Sam and my nameless bodyguard had a young man pinned against the wall. His face was red. Sam’s was redder. And Sam had him beat by six inches and sixty pounds of unleashed anger. The bodyguard’s presence was superfluous.
“Let him go, Sam! He’s not Miguel,” I said. He looked at me, but didn’t relax his hold.
I touched his shoulder lightly. “Let him go,” I repeated. I looked at the guard, and he withdrew a few feet. Sam looked back at the man in his grasp and loosened his grip on his arms, but there was strong warning in his eyes.
“Why the hell is Sam attacking my assistant?” said Todd, eyes blazing. Sam glared at him, his breathing still labored. I stepped between them to avoid any more physical altercations.
“He made a mistake, okay? Let it go,” I said. “This is Robbie?” Todd nodded.
I put out my hand. Robbie hesitated, but did shake it, looking at Todd for an explanation.
“Robert McNamara, meet Jack Schaeffer, our CEO…and resident beast master,” said Todd, the last part clearly directed at Sam. I reached for Sam, hoping to distract him from Todd’s barb.
“And this is Sam Wainwright, my partner,” I said. The two of them eyed one another. Sam blinked first, and stuck out his hand.
“Sorry, man,” he said. “I’m a little on edge, and you look way too much like a guy our security team is looking for. I shouldn’t have…anyway, I apologize. You okay?”
Robbie rubbed his upper arms. “Uh…yeah…I guess so.”
“What took you so long?” asked Todd.
Robbie rolled his eyes. “I know I’m late, but it’s not my fault. The guard downstairs insisted on holding me, until some muscle freak with bad breath and a worse attitude grilled me for ten minutes, demanding I identify myself. He had my effing driver’s license in his hand. What more did he want? I guess I know why, now.”
Robbie was rail thin, a couple of inches under six feet. He reminded me of JP Murphy, the way his stomach and chest almost caved inwards. Sam was right – he was a close facial match to Miguel, which I’m sure explained his detention downstairs. His blue shirt tail was hanging halfway out of his black pants in the back. He looked as frazzled as he sounded.
“What’s going on, anyway? Or should I not ask?” said Robbie.
“You can ask. But I’m going to hold my answer until I meet with everyone in the office a little later this morning, okay?” I said. He nodded.
Trying to lighten the mood, I said, “So…Robbie. You’ve got a week under your belt here. Other than being attacked this morning, how do you like working for Todd?” Todd gave me a look.
“He’s okay,” Robbie said with a grin. Todd snorted.
“Don’t you have something to do?” said Todd.
“Probably. I should get to it,” said Robbie. He nodded to me. “Mr. Schaeffer. Mr. Wainwright.”
“I’m Jack, he’s Sam,” I said, reaching for Sam’s hand.
“Welcome to the team,” said Sam, with a grin.
Robbie smiled, unfazed by our holding hands. “Thank you.” He glanced at Todd. “I better get to work.” He walked to his desk a few feet away, and sat down.
Sam and I followed Todd back into his office. Sam closed the door behind us.
“So that’s the new guy?” I asked.
“Yep. He’s young, and full of ideas. But don’t let his disheveled appearance fool you. He’s organized, great with details, and he can juggle six things at once. He’s perfect.”
“Whatever you say. He’s your assistant. What kind of ideas? Anything we can use?”
“Um…I don’t think so.”
“Why?”
“Well…his big dream is to run marijuana dispensaries across the state.”
“What? Is that even legal?” asked Sam.
“Medical use marijuana is already legal. He’s convinced the law will change soon, and recreational use will be made legal. Believe it or not, that’s why he got an agricultural degree and is working on his MBA. He sees it as big business.”
“No. Not interested,” I said.
“I didn’t think you would be, and I told him so.”
I flopped into a chair. Sam remained standing. Todd sat down behind his desk.
“Seriously? He wants to turn marijuana into big business? Doesn’t he understand the damage that crap causes?”
Todd shrugged. I couldn’t leave it alone. I was so angry, I kicked a desk leg without thinking.
Todd jumped and grabbed his desk. “Woah, Jack. Settle down. We aren’t a part of it, okay?” Sam came up behind me and massaged my shoulders.
“It’s not up for discussion, Todd. I mean it. And I don’t want him talking it up to other people here, either.”
“Jack, I can’t put a total muzzle on the guy. It’s not like he’s selling it out of his desk drawer.”
“He better not,” I said, still angry.
“Easy, little man,” whispered Sam behind my ear.
“What’s gotten into you? Why the hostility?” asked Todd.
I took a deep breath. “My brother started using pot when he was like twelve or something. He slid downhill from there. Drugs destroyed his life, and he doesn’t even know it, that’s how wasted his mind is now. I have no patience for it, Todd. I don’t care if they do make it legal. I’ve seen the destruction, first hand. Just…tell him to keep it to himself.”
He nodded. “Okay, I’ll tell him. I didn’t mean to touch a nerve. I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
I sighed, a little calmer. “I know you didn’t. It’s not something I talk about much. It’s so…horribly sad. It all starts off innocent and carefree. It’s not addictive, they say. It doesn’t do any lasting damage. Except to the ones who are addicted, whose minds are shot, so paranoid they can’t function.”
“I understand,” said Todd. “Let’s drop it. Tell me about your visit with Sam’s family.”
We spent another twenty minutes or so, catching up. Robbie interrupted us with a reminder Todd had a meeting scheduled. He eyed Sam warily.
“Is that goon out there gonna stand over my shoulder all day?” he asked.
Todd started to answer, but I put up my hands. “We’re leaving. The goon’s with me, Robbie. Sorry again about all the fuss earlier.”
“Oh…um…okay,” he said. “Is there anything you need for your meeting, Todd?”
“At this point, I have no idea,” said Todd, throwing his hands up and flopping back in his desk chair.
“Cheer up, Bean counter,” said Sam with a grin. “The day’s young. You still have time to figure things out.”
“Get out of my office, Pool Boy. And take Jack with you. I need to get some real work done.” He tried to hide his smile. It didn’t work.
We went back to my office, bodyguard in tow. I just wanted to go home.
The meeting with the staff was uneventful. We gathered in the kitchen area. There were quite a few more people than my last meeting. I think they took me at my word that there was no real danger to anyone. I apologized for needing the extra security, and Ben gave me a look, standing over by the windows, but he didn’t say anything. When I asked if there were any questions, all I got was a “what’s for lunch?”.
Ben was hovering by the windows, his eyes watching everything and everybody, especially me. Sam was drooling over the steaming sliced beef and roasted potatoes. I spied Danny and Will getting in line.
“Sam…go get something to eat. You look famished,” I said.
He smiled. “I will when you do.”
“I’m not all that hungry.”
“You need to eat, Jack.”
“I need to not throw up.”
He grabbed my hand, looking to my eyes. “I’m sorry about the Robbie thing. I didn’t mean to make it worse.”
I touched his arm. “I know. It’s not your fault. He does look like Miguel, a little anyway. Listen, Ben’s right over there. Lydia is just around the corner. I’ll come sit down with you in a minute.”
He made eye contact with Ben and tilted his head toward me. Ben nodded. Sam kissed my cheek, squeezed my hand, and reluctantly let go to join Danny and Will in line.
Sam is Sam, and I knew he needed to eat. He did keep glancing over at me as he moved through the food line, and he sat at a table facing out from the windows, so he could still see me. I smiled at him, and he gave me an ear-to-ear grin.
Derek from accounting approached. “Hi, Jack.”
“Hey, Derek. How’s it going?” I said.
“Pretty good. I just wanted to say I’m sorry you have to go through this. I’d…um…well…I’d hate to see anything bad happen to you or Sam.” It was big step for a guy who a week ago wasn’t sure he could work for a gay boss.
“Thank you, Derek. That means a lot to me. I appreciate it. How’s your fiance? Set a date yet?”
He looked down at the floor, then out the windows, fixing his stare into the distance.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry, it’s none of my business,” I said, wishing I’d kept my mouth shut. He looked like he was about to cry.
He held it together. “No…it’s okay,” he said with a deep sigh. “She dumped me. Said if I continued to work here, I wasn’t marriage material. Stupid bitch.” He blanched. “Oh…wow…um, sorry…that just slipped out.”
“No worries. I met Sam’s family for the first time last week, and he has an aunt that really riled me up. I said almost those exact words. I understand the feeling, believe me.”
“Oh, wow. First time meeting the family? How’d it go?” he asked.
“Good. They liked me, I think. They’re coming out for a visit sometime in August, I hope. Maybe I’ll bring them here, show them around.”
“You should,” said Derek, with strong conviction.
“Why?” I asked, intrigued.
He looked into my eyes. I could tell he felt he’d said too much. But I was curious, so I pressed. “It’s okay, Derek. I’d really like to know your opinion on this.”
He swallowed hard. “I…um…I don’t want to offend you, so please don’t take this the wrong way. But there’s something about seeing you with Sam’s family that…I don’t know the right words…but it makes it all seem…more…normal?” He held his breath, waiting for my response.
“Relax. I think you’re absolutely right. I didn’t even realize it myself, until you just said it. Thank you. It does feel normal, to be a part of Sam’s family. Like I always have been. Weird, right?”
“Not really. That’s how I felt about my fiance’s family. Not any more, of course. But I do understand the feeling.”
“I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you guys,” I said.
“It’s okay. The truth is, she really just wanted things her way, and I was getting shafted in the process. This work thing was just an excuse, really. It hurts, but I think it’s just the dream dying. The reality would have been a nightmare. I can see that now, so really, I guess I should thank you.”
“For what?”
He smiled. “For being gay and pissing off my evil girlfriend so she’d leave me.”
I grinned. “Glad I could help.”
After the line had died down, I decided to have a little salad and a piece of baked Greek chicken. It was cold. I think the sterno under the chafing dish had gone out. Sort of like the wind in my sails. I was exhausted, and still had another half day to endure.
I sat with Danny, Simon, and Sam and half listened to their conversation, picking apart my chicken, but not really eating it. I decided I wasn’t very hungry, after all. I nodded at appropriate places, but said very little. My mind was elsewhere.
This whole Miguel situation irritated me. I never wanted to see the man again. He should have been forever in the rearview mirror, but no, now my whole office was in a turmoil over the creep. And for what? We still had no idea where he was, let alone why he would want anything to do with me. Or Sam.
Sam. I would kill Miguel with my bare hands if he tried to hurt Sam. And Ben should have never said what he did to me. It was a low blow. At the moment I couldn’t decide whether to be pissed off at the whole situation, or just scared half to death for Sam.
I caught Ben watching me from across the way. He was standing next to the windows, his back to the gorgeous sunny view, his eyes roaming from one side of the office to the other. He stopped when he saw me looking at him and nodded. I sighed. I knew he was just doing his job, and I wasn’t making it easy for him.
“Jack, you’ve hacked that poor piece of chicken to death. What’s wrong?” asked Sam, leaning over and whispering in my ear. His hand rubbed the small of my back. I looked at him and wanted to cry, which really pissed me off. My emotions were all over the place, and I needed to regroup.
“I’m sorry guys. I’m not very hungry,” I said. “I’m gonna get some work done. Sam, I’ll be in my office.” He started to get up, but I put a hand on his shoulder.
“Stay and finish your lunch. I know you want some of those cookies. You know where to find me.” I bent down and kissed his forehead, forcing a smile.
“I love you,” he mouthed silently.
“I know,” I said softly.
Ben caught up with me at the trash can where I dumped my barely eaten lunch.
“I’m going to the bathroom, then to my office,” I said. He nodded. I didn’t care if he followed me or not. He did.
He touched my shoulder as we approached the restroom door. I stopped. The look on his face said “don’t challenge me.” I stepped over and leaned on the wall. He went in.
He came back out a moment later, motioning me inside. I rolled my eyes – I couldn’t help it – and he smiled. There was no one else in there. I stepped up to a urinal and unzipped. Ben did the same next to me. I finished first.
“Wait for me,” said Ben, as I dried my freshly washed hands. I threw the used paper towels in the trash and stood by the door, fuming. Ben washed and dried his hands, taking his time. I caught his face in the mirror.
“You done yet?” I said.
“Yeah…I’m done. You okay?”
“No…I’m not. I’ve got some creepy guy looking for me, Sam’s breathing down my neck, you’ve got the whole office flipped out, and I can’t even pee without someone looking over my shoulder. So, no…I’m not okay. Any more stupid questions?”
He looked stunned, like I had slapped him or something. I expected him to come back at me, all I’m-the-man-in-charge macho tough guy, but he just stood there, trying to decide what to say. Whatever he came up with, I’m sure I didn’t want to hear it.
“Can we go now?” I asked. He nodded. I turned and walked out.
I walked past Margie and Robbie, conferring over something on her computer. She looked up. I shook my head and walked past without a word. I went into my office, shut the door, and walked to the windows. I managed to hold back the tears, because I just didn’t want to deal with them, either.
I stared at the horizon, remembering my first view of the mountains from my room at the Ritz. Everything was so exciting then, so new, so full of promise. I remembered Billy standing there with me, muscles bulging, smile blazing white. I remembered Miguel, and how attracted I was to him.
Holy Crap! This whole thing was my fault. If I hadn’t been flirting with him in the first place, Miguel would never have paid any attention to me. If I was honest, I liked his playful looks, full of possibilities. Until he pushed it too hard, too fast. If it wasn’t for Billy showing up when he did – I shook my head, trying to erase that moment, knowing I never would.
Margie found me sometime later, sitting at my desk, staring off into nothing. She burst in, all excited.
“Good news, boss. I just heard from my sister. She found out why he’s no longer at the Ritz.”
I pointed to a chair. “Sit. Tell me everything.”
She sat. “According to someone in housekeeping over there, he resigned as some sort of agreement with hotel management. There’s even a rumor they paid him to leave.”
“Why?”
“Apparently several of the male guests complained to management that Miguel – his last name is Rojas, by the way – was a little too…forward, shall we say. Whoever Nancy talked to couldn’t confirm it, but rumor has it one man got roughed up by Miguel, and threatened to sue the hotel. They talked him out of pressing charges. And Miguel was sent packing, but very quietly, so as to not rock the boat.”
“Wow. No wonder the manager wouldn’t talk to Ben. I have to tell him. Thanks, Margie. This really, really helps. Did Nancy have any idea where he might be now?”
“No, but she has feelers out. She’s confident someone knows something. These guys tend to move from hotel to hotel, and it’s not likely the Ritz blackballed him, because they would have to admit why.”
“The second you hear from her, please let me know. Call me, day or night, okay?”
“You got it, boss.”
“Is Ben out there?” She nodded. “Ask him to come in. And then I’ve got a few things I need your help with. Thanks, Margie. I needed this.” She smiled and left.
Ben came in and stood in front of my desk. I relayed what Margie just told me.
“That jives with what I learned from the head of security this morning. He told me management asked him to run video checks for specific dates and times, but he didn’t see anything. They only have video in the main lobby and the hallways around the conference rooms.”
“So now what?” I asked.
“We stick with the plan. I know it’s a pain in the ass, Jack. I’m sorry about that. I’ll start making calls to other hotels, see if we can track him down that way. Between Margie’s sister and me, we’ll find him.”
“The sooner the better, Ben.”
“I’m on it, Jack. I’ll have Lydia outside your door. Call me the second you know anything else.” I nodded, and he left.
Margie came back in and sat down in front of my desk, notepad and chewed pen in hand.
“Well, he took off like a bat outta hell. Did Nancy’s information help?”
“I think so. He’s going to start calling other hotels as we speak. Please thank your sister for me. Maybe send her some flowers or something?”
“She’d prefer chocolates to flowers. Girl has a serious sweet tooth.”
“Fine, you choose. Whatever she wants.” Margie nodded and made a note.
“How busy are you, day to day?” I asked.
“It’s picking up. We have more people now, so there’s more on the HR side, since we’re onboarding more often. But I’ve got a good system in place, so it’s fairly seamless. Why?”
“I want to ask you to consider something. Think about it before you say yes. It won’t be much at first, but it could grow into something more in the future.”
“What is it, Jack?”
“I want you to head up the charitable side of Schaeffer & Associates.”
She sat back, stunned.
“Me? I don’t know anything about it. I’ve never run a charity before. I don’t think I’ve ever even been to a big fundraiser, or whatever it is they do to raise money,” she said.
“You shouldn’t have to do any of that. We aren’t a charity ourselves. We set up the Schaeffer Foundation to funnel funds to other charities and organizations we want to help. I need someone to spearhead that. You’re excellent at finding information, making contacts, and organizing things. Like I said, we’ll start off slow, and gradually build. If it starts to be too much, you can get whatever help you need.”
“As long as I can raise the white flag and ask for help, I’ll give it a try. Where did you want to start?”
“With this.” I handed her the brochure for the Freedom Fighter’s Futures Fund I’d picked up at the parade. She looked it over, inhaling sharply.
“Oh, my goodness. They do all that? Help these people with prosthetics and all the medical care?”
“Yes. And I want to help. So I need you to call them, don’t commit to anything too soon, but find out what they need most. Then report back to me, and you and I will decide how we can best help them in their mission.”
“Anything in particular you want me to ask?”
“Well…my nephew Carter talked a lot about learning how to engineer all those fancy devices. He was fascinated by them. It has to take a ton of education and training to be able to make things like that, so maybe talk to them about a plan for supporting education for people in the field. And maybe how we can help the families of these men and women going through rehabilitation, too.”
“I’ll get on it right away. This is amazing.” She had tears in her eyes.
“You okay?” I said, as she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.
“I’m fine. Anything else?” she said.
“Yes. Any word on my application to Wash U?”
“Not yet. They should have your scores, though. And I mailed your application last Tuesday. You want me to call them?”
“No…I don’t want to jinx it by pestering them. I need them to want me in the program.”
“I read your essay. They’ll want you.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re going to believe in your mission, and want to support it. You made a believer out of me and Todd. They won’t be able to say no. Of course, they’ll also want your alumni donations, so be ready for all the hands reaching for your pocketbook.”
“Whatever, as long as they let me in the program.”
“Anything else?”
“Nope. That’s enough for now. I need to find Sam and Simon to go over the plans for the house in St. Louis. And call me the second Nancy has any news, okay?”
“I will.” She left, and I stood up and moved to the windows. I stared out at the mountains in the distance, awed by their majesty. I heard the door open behind me, and turned. It was Sam.
“Hey, little man,” he said, walking slowly across the carpet.
“Hey, big guy,” I said, glad to see him. He pulled me into a warm hug, and I melted into his arms. We said nothing. Words would have just gotten in the way.
Later, we spent an hour with Simon, reviewing the plans for renovations at the St. Louis house. It was mostly to bring the house up to current building codes, but we did ask if he could update the guest house in the backyard.
“Are you thinking for Ben?” asked Simon.
“No. I assume he’s coming with us, but it’s…complicated. No, we’re thinking Maggie and Charles can stay there, provided we can talk them into traveling to St. Louis a few times a month.”
“Sam, you worried about starving to death?” asked Simon, smiling.
Sam grinned. “Jack and I can fend for ourselves…if we have to. But if we don’t have to…” Simon and I laughed.
“What do you think, can we get all that done in a month?” I asked.
“I think so. I’ll call the architect and he’ll get with the general contractor. Shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Before I forget, can you have Sheila Weinkopf call Sam and set up an appointment to come out to the house? We have a big bathroom remodel we need her help with.”
“Sure. She’ll love working for you again,” said Simon.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because you pay well and don’t fuss a lot,” said Simon.
“This one is all Sam,” I said.
“So beige it is then?” said Simon. Even Sam laughed.
At the end of the day, I was done in. I spent the final half hour reviewing financial reports for our new hotel chain. Danny thought it would be a good idea for me to get familiar with the structure and key accounts. He wanted me to sit in with the consultants when they met to discuss my proposed plan.
Sam retrieved my cell phone from Will and brought it to me. He installed new apps, so now I had access to all my work documents wherever I was, at any time. Yippee. More work.
“Sam…please take me home. I can’t take another minute of this,” I said, throwing the latest income statement across my desk. He stood up from the couch and grabbed my hand as I rounded my desk. He kissed me.
It’s amazing the restoration that comes from a kiss. Everything slows down, and I can focus on what matters most – the man in my arms. I disappeared for a moment in that kiss. It was wonderful.
Then Ben spoiled it.
“Let’s roll, guys. I’ve got a lead on Miguel. He works over at the Hyatt now,” he said.
Sam pulled away, spinning to glare at Ben. “Seriously? He’s been right under our noses this whole time?”
“Now what?” I asked.
“I’ll talk to him. See if I can figure out what he wants,” said Ben.
“Let me talk to him,” said Sam.
“No, Sam…we’ve seen how you talk. Thankfully Robbie isn’t suing us for harassment,” I said.
“Reefer Robbie will just have to deal with it,” said Sam. “I’m not apologizing for protecting you, Jack.”
“Reefer Robbie?” said Ben.
“Don’t ask. I don’t want to even think about it,” I said. “When will you talk with Miguel?”
“I’m taking you guys home, then I’ll see if I can track him down. My source said he’s working this evening.”
“Let’s do it now, then,” said Sam. “Why wait?”
Ben sighed. “Because I want him to talk to me, Sam, not run. He sees you – or Jack – and he might take off. Let me do my job.”
I grabbed Sam’s arms and turned him to face me. “Sam…I want this over with, same as you. But let’s let Ben handle it. Come on, take me home. I just want be in your arms. Can you do that for me?” I asked.
He looked at me, torn. I kissed him. He caved.
“Take us home, Ben,” he said.
We said goodbye to Margie and followed Ben to the elevators. In the lobby, Ben stopped to confer with the night guard for a moment.
“I need food and a hot shower,” I said to Sam.
He put his hand on my back. “Sounds good to me,” he said. “You think we could stop at a hardware store on the way home?”
“For what?” I asked, looking up into his twinkling blue eyes.
“I think they sell wall handles with suction cups. Maybe we can practice, see if we can figure out the best placement for you.”
I smiled, placing a hand over his heart. “Handle or no handle, I need you tonight, Sam.”
“I know,” he said, pulling me closer with his hand at my back.
“I love you.”
“Forever,” he said.