Chapter 11 Distract Me Now
DISTRACT ME NOW
Being able to tempt Kenzie to sin some more became his motivation and goal for the past week.
It was why rather than flying home on Friday night, he landed in Salt Lake City, checked into his hotel room and was now trying to figure out the best way to tell his wife that he was in town for the weekend.
They’d had a few texts back and forth. Nothing important, just him checking on her more than she was him.
He wouldn’t let it get to him. He didn’t know her well... but he wanted to.
The idea of showing up at her job last night was tempting. He knew her work schedule. He’d managed to get that out of her on the sly. But even he worried that would border on the edge of creepy.
By ten this morning, he was sick of pacing in his room, so he picked up his phone and placed a call rather than a text, hoping he’d get a faster response.
“Hi, Nelson,” she said. Her voice was as he remembered. Soft, sweet, this time happy.
That was what he was telling himself because there was more of a cheerful note to it than before.
“Am I interrupting anything?”
“Nope,” she said. “Just finished my second cup of coffee. I had a late night and needed the sleep more than I thought.”
“Do you have any plans today?”
“Nah. I need a chill day. There’s not much longer before finals and I can finally take a week of not thinking of anything.”
He laughed. “I remember those days. If you have no plans, I’m in town for the weekend.”
There was a pause. “In town where?”
“Salt Lake City. Not sure where your apartment is or how close we are. I thought maybe we could spend the day together. I can fill you in on what was found out about my situation.”
“We can do that,” she said. “Is it crazy to say I’d like to talk to you in person?”
Fuck no.
But since she’d mentioned she wasn’t much on swearing and was trying to avoid being around it, he kept the words buried. He’d have to work on that flaw of his.
“Not at all. If you want to give me your address, I’ll pick you up and we can figure out our day.”
“Why don’t I come to you?” she said. “I know my way around better. Where are you staying?”
He gave her his information. “When are you coming?”
She laughed. “Are you eager to see me?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I almost stopped in when you were working last night.”
“Probably a good thing you didn’t. I would have been distracted and messed up people’s orders.”
Exactly the words he wanted to hear.
“You can come distract me now if you want.”
“I’ll be there in thirty minutes. I have to fix my hair and change.”
They hung up after that and he sat in the chair in his room and had his phone in his hand looking for fun date ideas.
He needed to win his wife over, and he was on the clock.
Not just this weekend, but before those papers could be signed.
He had a few ideas in mind when he heard a knock at his door.
“Hi,” he said.
She looked different. More put together rather than someone who was running back and forth with a hangover and little time to put much effort into her appearance.
She wore tan cargo pants that were fitted to her trim waist, then dropped to the ground, baggy legs landing on white canvas sneakers.
Her T-shirt was the color of a summer sky, soft and snug against her frame, ending just where her cargo pants began. If she moved just right, he was going to catch a glimpse of skin. Yes, please!
Her brown hair was tousled like sexy waves, the makeup on her face was minimal but skillfully applied.
Bright eyes with a little shimmer on them, a tiny pink tint to her cheeks that looked more like a blush, gloss on her lips that he was dying to lean down and find out if it was flavored or not.
“You’re staring,” she said.
“It’s been a week since I’ve seen you. You look different. Can I get a hug?”
She laughed. “Yes, you can get a hug. You’re my husband.”
The joyful sound that escaped her lips had his heart racing as he pulled her close to his body, held her tight and sucked in the warmth of her embrace to store away.
“I am,” he said. In his mind that meant it was a green light to taste her lips again.
He looked down at her, and she gazed up at him, their eyes locked in a silent exchange that seemed to stretch far beyond ten seconds. Then his grin broke the stillness, and as he lowered his head, she rose onto her tiptoes meeting him halfway.
Their lips touched, his tongue nudged hers apart and they were making out as if they were long-lost lovers just dying for a piece of the other.
“Is it how you remembered?” she asked.
“Better,” he said.
He stepped back before he picked her up and tossed her on the bed. Married or not, kissing was all he remembered them doing and they still didn’t know each other that well.
What he knew was she wasn’t the type of woman to have a one-night stand. Not someone to jump into bed with a guy early on either. At least not sober. He believed her when she said she’d never done it before him.
“I think so,” she said. “You look good. Different.”
He didn’t know why. He had jeans and a T-shirt on just like he did last weekend.
Unless it was the fact he wasn’t chasing slipped drugs into his system and feeling like shit for days.
“How so?”
“Well, you’re not pale. I thought maybe it was normal for you, but I’m thinking now that it was part of what happened to you. Your eyes are clearer too.”
He snorted. “I didn’t look at myself much last weekend and powered through how shitty I actually felt. Couldn’t have you thinking I was some wimp.”
“That’s funny because I did the same thing. My head was killing me. I took more aspirin than I normally do, only I hadn’t let you see it.”
He put his arm around her giving her a side hug. “Hey, we’re married. No secrets.”
She rolled her eyes and moved to the chair to sit and he joined her in the other one.
“Tell me what you learned or what happened this past week. I’ve been wondering and I’m sorry if I was distant. During the week, things are just nuts. The end is in sight though.”
“I understand. In summary, as I told you, they found some cocktail of drugs most likely put into my scotch. The server and housekeeper are both MIA. Both were contract employees that were there less than three days. Security is still searching for them, but it’s most likely the two of them who hit the few rooms. Surprisingly, my watch showed up at a pawnshop this week. ”
“Wow. So you got it back?”
“No. I’d have to buy it back and that would be stupid. I don’t want it either.”
He’d like to wipe those memories away as best as he could.
“But it’s expensive.”
“The hotel covered it,” he said. “The guy who brought it in wasn’t an employee, but they suspect he’s got some relationship with one of those two other women. As far as I’m concerned it’s done.”
“They aren’t going to go to the police? That’s a huge offense. Felony robbery, drugging several people. Breaking and entering.”
“Listen to you doing all your lawyer speak. I get enough of that from Braylon. But no, I don’t want it on record.
I’m not reporting it. It’s best not to. If the hotel takes that route and the other guests are fine with it, or the other guests want to, it’s on them.
Me, the less paper trail of that for my family the better. ”
“I’m sorry it has to be that way for you. Those people won’t get what is coming to them.”
“Karma has a way of coming around,” he said. “I’ve always felt that.”
“I’d like to believe it, but it’s normally more about what you make of your life, not what falls into your lap.”
His hand reached across the table, palm up, waiting for her to place her much smaller one in it.
She didn’t hesitate.
“Funny, considering our situation, don’t you think?”