“It’s right there,” I tell Tony, pointing at the impressive glass high-rise on the corner of 57thStreet between Fifth and Sixth Avenue.
“Trust you to get knocked up by a Caltimore Holdings employee,” he mumbles under his breath. He had a funny look on his face earlier when I gave him the address to input into the GPS.
“Why? What do you know about this company?” I don’t bother correcting his error. He’ll find out it’s the CEO, and not an employee, in due course.
“They are shady as fuck,” he cryptically replies. Tony clearly knows something, but I don’t have time to drill him for intel now.
“I’ll see if I can make an appointment while you park,” I say, opening the car door before he can object and stepping out onto the sidewalk.
“Don’t move from here.” He jabs his finger in my direction. “Stay put until I return.”
“I’ll wait in the reception area while you park the rental. I promise.” I doubt I’ll be in any danger in such a public place. I close the door, and he glides out into the traffic.
The building must have been renovated in more recent years, I think, as I stride in the direction of the swinging entrance doors. It’s very modern looking with full floor-to-ceiling windows, and it extends high into the sky, beyond my eyesight. I’m betting there is an exquisite view over the city and Central Park from the top floor. I’m also betting that’s where Ben’s office is located.
I’m a few feet from the door when a group of three men and one woman emerges from the building through a side door. I instantly spot Ben, with his cell to his ear, walking in between two bulky dudes. All three men are wearing black suits and dark expressions. The woman is talking animatedly to Ben, looking harried as she points at papers in her hands while struggling to keep up with the men’s long-legged pace in her tight skirt and high heels.
Shit. I’m too far away for him to notice me, and I don’t want to call out to him and cause a scene. I was hoping for a private meeting where I could tell him the news with just us in the room.
I’m undecided on what to do when I see a large black SUV pull up to the curb. My legs act of their own accord as I turn around, walking briskly toward the line of taxis idling by the curb at the side street. I can’t let Ben leave without following him. It’s after two on a Friday. He might not return to the office, and I don’t know if he works weekends. This could be my only chance to talk to him.
I call Tony on my cell as I watch Ben get into the blacked-out SUV. Tony answers just as I reach the first taxi. “Wait a sec,” I bark into the phone, holding it to my chest as I hop into the back seat, instructing the driver to follow the SUV. “Sorry. Change of plans,” I tell Tony, holding the phone out from my ear as he lets loose a string of expletives. “He’s on the move, and I have to follow him. Use my cell to track my location. I’ll wait for you when we reach our destination.”
I hang up before he can berate me for my reckless reaction. I had to make a split-second decision, and I’m not sorry I made this call. If I had waited for Tony to come back, we would have lost Ben. I don’t want to have to return to New York. It’s taken a lot this week to psych myself up for this meeting, and I just want to get it over and done with now.
If the driver thinks it’s weird I asked him to follow another car, he keeps those thoughts to himself.
Traffic is shit, and it takes forty minutes to drive less than thirteen miles. Eventually, Ben’s car turns off the busy roads, driving up and down successive side streets before pulling into the parking lot of a two-story building in Queens.
The property is on its own contained lot, distancing it from other bars, clubs, and stores in the area. There is an overgrown park on one side, and the Hudson River is only a couple of streets away according to Google Maps. Requesting the taxi driver to pull over to the curb at the corner, I watch Ben’s SUV as it parks right in front of the building while I phone Tony. “Where are you?”
“I’m about ten minutes behind you.”
“Okay. Hurry.” I hang up, chewing on the inside of my mouth as Ben’s driver opens his door and he gets out. He has left his coat and suit jacket inside the car, emerging in a crisp white button-down shirt, expensive black pants, and matching dress shoes. I can only see him from behind, but his form is every bit as impressive as I remember it.
Images flash vividly in my mind.
I see his large warm hands grazing the length and breadth of my body. I feel his skillful fingers and tongue sending me into a frenzy of unleashed desire. I shudder at the remembrance of his monster cock pounding inside me as we created a new life. Heat creeps up my chest and onto my neck, and I shake myself free of all nostalgic thoughts. This isn’t the time or place.
The two men in suits, still wearing ferocious expressions, accompany Ben into the building while I contemplate my options. I know I should wait for Tony. He’s only ten minutes away, but my gut is telling me to go in there after Ben now.
“Please wait here,” I tell the driver, handing him a fifty. “I will give you another one of those and a generous tip when I return.” I don’t want to go into that building without a way of getting out of here, just in case Tony is delayed or I need to make a rapid exit.
“Lady, you sure you want to go in there?” He glances over his shoulder at me.
“My friend is on his way. He’ll be right behind me.”
I climb out of the back seat before I can second-guess myself, tying the belt of my three-quarter-length pink woolen coat firmly around my waist. I’m glad I dressed warmly because it’s freezing in New York today. At least there is no rain or snow, so I’m grateful for small mercies. Holding the strap of my Michael Kors purse, I walk quickly across the road in my black pantyhose and stilettos, heading toward the building Ben went into.
The building is in need of TLC, a lot like the area. Gray shutters are pulled down against the windows, and paint peels off the overhead sign. Weeds poke up between the asphalt as I stride across the parking lot. Besides Ben’s SUV, there are four other vehicles here, but the place appears virtually deserted.
Nerves prick at my skin as I approach the grimy front door. What the hell is this place, and what is Ben doing here? Wetting my dry lips and tucking my long blonde hair behind my ears, I draw a brave breath and open the door.
Music greets me as I step inside, but it’s low, just background noise in the dingy, dimly lit room. It’s a bar or club of some sort with a mix of booths and open seating areas surrounding an elevated section in the center of the room, resembling a runway with the addition of stripper poles.
Classy. Not.
It’s like the eighties threw up in here with its brick walls, tired décor, and dark wood furniture that looks like a throwback toCheers. I scan the space, spotting the back of Ben’s head as he enters a rear door at the far side of the room. A burly guy with a shaved head and a scowl on his face stands guard in front of it, so I wander to the bar and pull up a stool to wait for Tony.
