His Natural Habitat
Delaney
As the impeccably dressed receptionist showed me into his office, I tried not to gawk.
Standing behind the massive mahogany desk, there he was – not the guy I'd dumped dirt on. Or had coffee with. Or who had kissed me like he'd meant it.
Okay, yes, logically I realized that he was the same person – except it didn't feel that way as our eyes locked across the wide expanse of his office.
He wasn't smiling. Then again, I hadn't expected him to.
My breath caught as I took it all in – not just his stony expression, but everything around him.
Expansive windows revealed the Chicago skyline in all its glittering afternoon glory. Framed artwork hung on the walls. Polished wood gleamed beneath my feet. And a luxurious sitting area with leather chairs and low tables occupied one side of the sprawling space.
But it was Maddox himself who held my attention as the silence stretched out between us.
The two of us were alone – a point driven home when the office door shut behind me with a quiet click.
When I whirled to look, the receptionist was already gone.
As my pulse quickened, I turned back to Maddox, who studied me with a look that was impossible to decipher.
Apparently, this was my cue to speak.
I cleared my throat. "I guess you're surprised to see me, huh?"
And yet, he didn't look surprised. He didn't look anything. As I tried to read his expression, I couldn't help but recall our penthouse discussion about games, when I'd guessed his favorite to be poker.
And why? Because even then, I'd known he had one heck of a poker face.
Finally, he replied in a calm, neutral voice. "Surprised? You might say that." He glanced past me. "So where's the witness?"
It might've been a joke. It might've been an accusation. From his tone, I couldn't be sure either way.
I had to remind myself that I was the one who'd sought him out – and not the other way around. I cut to the chase. "Well…if you want the truth, I was kind of hoping I wouldn't need him."
"And why's that?"
I gave his desk another glance. The business card – the one I'd given the receptionist – sat on its surface, directly in front of Maddox. On the enormous desk, it looked absurdly small, like a fleck of snow against dark pavement. I pointed to the card. "Because you already have the evidence."
He didn't even look. "Exhibit A, huh?"
"You might say that."
"And it's evidence of what?"
"Oh, come on. Do I really need to explain?" I sighed. "If you want the truth, I don't even know if I should apologize for flipping out or make you apologize to me."
His eyebrows lifted. "Make me?"
"Fine. Ask you to apologize." I hesitated. "For a whole bunch of things."
Finally, something flickered in his eyes. "Such as…?"
"Like…for starters, why were you using a fake name?"
This made him frown. "What?"
With just a hint of sarcasm, I asked, "Is your name really Cal Smith?"
"No."
"So, why on Earth were you claiming it was?"
"I wasn't." But then, he gave the card a careful look, and his eyebrows furrowed. When he looked up, he said, "But I guess I can see where you'd think that."
"You guess?" I almost laughed. "Hey, I wasn't the only one who thought it. Walt did, too."
"Walt."
Was that a question? I couldn’t even tell. I answered, anyway. "Yes. You gave him the card and told him to call you."
Something shifted in his expression. "The janitor."
"No. The building manager. You know…the guy you handed the card to? You said if he spotted me, he should call you."
"No…" Maddox said in a tone of overblown patience. "I said he should call the number on the card."
"Except it was your card."
"Except it wasn't."
Again, I pointed. "Except…there it is. That same card. Exhibit A, right? Does it say Maddox McGuiness?"
This time, he didn't even look. "I'm not gonna hand out my own card."
I didn't get it. "What?"
"It was Cal's card, not mine."
"Wait…who's Cal?"
"My security guy."
"Oh." That actually made sense. I tried to imagine the whole scenario as Walt had described it. "So you never claimed you were Cal?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
Maddox gave me a look. "I don't lie about my name."
Well, that was rich. I made a sound of annoyance. "Yeah, well, you don't share your full one, either, do you?"
His jaw flexed. "You learned it soon enough."
"Soon enough?" I scoffed. "You mean months after we met? Call me crazy, but I don't think that's soon at all."
He froze. "Months?"
"Yes. From summer to fall. That's three months at least. So there I am in my cabin, and Walt starts hollering his head off that I've got to see something on his TV, so I rush over there, and who do you think I saw?"
Maddox just looked at me, frowning like I'd completely lost him.
I took a single step forward. "What I saw was you – the guy I'd met months ago. And what do I learn? That everyone in the whole world knows your full name but me." I shook my head. "Which is really weird considering that apparently you had a picture of me on your phone."
He stared like I'd just announced my name was Cal Smith.
But now I was on a roll. "And you were flashing that same photo around Tessa's building before the two of us ever met." I threw up my hands. "Why do you think I flipped out?"
He opened his mouth, but then closed it again, like he wasn't quite sure what to say.
Or maybe he was about to call security.
But they weren't dragging me out yet, so I kept on talking. "So, yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think you owe me not only an apology, but an explanation, too."
I finished with a low mutter. "Damn it."