Page 29 of Degrees of Innocence
Message:Indeed?
He is the last to walk in, dressed in a dark suit that fits his sculpted body to perfection. I quickly avert my gaze and begin the meeting, but I can feel his eyes lingering on my body. I turn slowly to look at him, and he smiles, a large heart-melting smile meant just for me. It takes an effort to return my attention to the focus of the day and the other people in the room. The team, aside from Mark, seems engaged in the brainstorming exercise and we have a board full of ideas for improvements before we break for lunch. Chase has already left for his noon conference so I mingle with the team over lunch.
I hear the familiar swoosh and smile.
Message:I’m impressed with the morning’s outcomes.
Reply:Thanks!
James, the office manager for one of the physician practices, engages me in a conversation about access to the clinics and the ongoing recruitment efforts. We are standing in the middle of the room when I feel eyes on me from behind. I turn in Chase’s direction as he walks in and takes a seat. Swoosh…
I try to keep my mind on the conversation at hand, until James takes a seat with his colleagues at a nearby table.
Message:Does the man have no sense of personal space?
Reply:Mr. Overbearing and possessive is back!
Message:He is indeed!
Reply:It makes me really hot…
Message:Careful, Baby…
The afternoon agenda is full but we are able to get through it successfully. We categorize and prioritize the areas that will require redesigned workflows in order to improve the care we deliver to patients in the Chicago area.
Chase leaves shortly before the others and I know it’s to get signed onto his meeting.I organize the exercise boards for the next day and head toward the restroom. The environmental services staff has already begun their nightly cleaning and the restrooms are closed, so I go into the lounge area. Mark is talking on his cell and having a cocktail. He doesn’t seem to notice as I walk past him to the restroom.
Swoosh…
Message:I’m almost finished with the call. Done working?
Reply:Yes…
I’m excited Chase appears free for the evening and am thinking about that as I return from the restroom.
Message:I’ll pick you up in half an hour. Are you going to wear panties?
I decide to be social before responding and as I approach Mark’s table, I stop dead in my tracks as I overhear him.“Should’ve seen the bitch today, she clearly has Prestian by the balls. Fucking him hard, too.Yeah, he actually seems to be sold on that Lean shit,” he says.
He is alone and talking on a cell phone. I look around quickly to see if I can get out of the room without walking directly past him. I continue toward the exit, fighting for composure and trying to keep the tears at bay. As I get to the exit, I walk faster and faster, heading toward my suite. I change into running clothes, grab my phone and earplugs, and head back to the elevator. I hit the shuffle button on my phone, throw it into my shorts pocket, and head toward the beach as the elevators open. I feel the warm tears begin to trickle down my face. His cruel words come back to me,“The bitch, she’s fucking him hard, too.”Why didn’t I listen to my instincts? I knew getting involved in a relationship with someone I work with was a bad idea. How many nights did I lay awake listening to my mom cry after Steve left her?Mark was talking to someone… probably someone at his company, so it’ll be known all over Martel Design before we get stateside.How am I supposed to walk into that room tomorrow? How can I even look at that crude man? Who else from the team knows?I feel the hot tears of embarrassment flow down my face and wipe them with the back of my hand. I have to clear my head and think about how to handle this.
If Chase finds out, he’ll fire him, and if he does, word will spread that Martel lost the contract because he made an inappropriate comment about me. I’ll be the talk of the industry. It’s obvious I can’t tell Chase about Mark, and will have to deal with it myself. Maybe I just need to pretend I either didn’t hear him or that it didn’t bother me. The tears start to subside as I continue my run, working through my emotions and trying to determine what to do.
My cooldown song comes on and I realize that I am about an hour from the resort instead of a half hour. I look around my surroundings and do not recognize anything in the area. The small buildings are crowded together creating little alleys and obscuring the views of the coast. I finally see a land marker I recognize and turn back in the direction of the large rock formations in the distance. As I do, I stop dead in my tracks as three men dressed in dirty khakis and bandannas move in front of me. I take a step backward, as the men come closer and then turn, panic inciting a full-out run, but I am not fast enough. My hair is caught and I am slammed into the ground face first. I feel the intense connection of my temple with rock and then the weight of a knee pushing into my ribs and back as he shoves me, roughly, face down. He has the back of my hair pulled in a tight grip, holding me pinned. His hands move farther down the expanse of my shorts, rummaging in my pockets and the grasp on my hair tightens painfully. I hear shouts and the hold on my hair immediately loosens.
I look up and see three men in the near distance. They are quick to give chase to the men who have left me in the sand and begun to run in the other direction. They begin to overpower my attackers and I grimace at the delivery of forceful blows to the aggressors as they bring them to the ground. One of the men reaches down to retrieve the hat that has fallen into the sand during the scuffle. He brushes it off against his pant legs before placing it on his head. It is the tourist and he is talking on his cell phone as he walks toward me.
“She’s safe Chase, but she did get attacked,” he says, reaching out a hand to assist me up. “No, we were right behind her. If we had been a couple minutes ahead, we could have prevented the entire thing. I’ll feel a hell of a lot better when we get a routine and details in place. You’re not far. Just round the high rock on your right, and take a quick left by the first blue shack,” he says before disconnecting.
I see Chase round the corner and I walk instinctively to him, hiding my face in his chest before he scoops me into his powerful arms. He carries me through the alleys to a beach cart and places me into the back seat of the cart before sliding in next to me and stripping his shirt off to gently wipe the tears, sand and blood from my face. He turns to the man who has followed us. “Jay, have the guys find out what their intent was before the police arrive and have a resort doctor meet us in my room,” he says.
“Already on it, Jay says, texting a message to someone from his phone before getting into the driver’s seat. Chase pulls me close and gently strokes my hair as I lean against his chest. I dab my lips and am surprised to see blood on my hands. He wipes it onto his stained t-shirt and pulls me closer, kissing my hair. Jay pulls the cart around to the back of the resort. We are stopped at the gates, but the guards quickly wave us through once they see Chase and Jay in the cart. As we arrive at the entrance, he climbs out of the cart and leans over to pick me up. I start to protest, but he’s not listening. “You’re not walking anywhere until you get checked over,” he says, scooping me into his arms. He effortlessly carries me through the back halls and toward an unfamiliar elevator and doesn’t put me down until we are inside his suite.
He kisses my forehead. “I should have given you some clearer direction on where to stay. Are you in a lot of pain?” he says.
“Mostly my head and lips… I think I hit my head on a rock when he slammed me down. Do all of those men work for you? I know the one you call Jay.”
“What do you mean you know Jay, Katarina?”
