Authors: Kelley Maestas
I cried the entire flight. Back at my apartment, I crawl into bed where I plan to stay for a week. My phone vibrates and rings constantly. There are several messages from Michael asking me where I am. His phone calls are full of panic. It’s time to face the situation head on. I answer his next call.
“Karlie, thank goodness you answered! Where are you?”
“I’m gone Michael. The job is complete and my time in Las Vegas has come to an end. My final gift to you is to give you your freedom, Merry Christmas. You were right this morning when you said it would never go away. Paying him off was not the way to go. I will pay you back I promise. I have never loved someone as much as I love you and it is because of that love that I am letting you go. Please don’t come for me and don’t call me. Setting you free is the hardest thing that I will ever do. Goodbye Michael.”
I gave him no time to respond. I hung up and turned off my phone. It was the saddest Christmas I have ever had. It was worse than the first Christmas after my parent’s death. That year I was alone by accident, this year I was alone by choice. I wondered what Michael was doing and hoped that he had somewhere to be and people to be with.
The day after Christmas I found my way to Anna Sloan Design. We sat down and had a talk. She didn’t say much
, but you could tell that she wasn’t a fan of my decision to leave. She asked if all of the work had been completed. I assured her that it was. I can’t see Michael being a stickler as far as the contract is concerned. I stayed until the project was complete. Anna informed me that the design team was going to fly out for the grand opening. Even Cooper Stiles was travelling to experience the unveiling.
“You did an amazing job Karlie.” Reaching across her desk she slides the glossy brochure in front of me. It’s really beautiful; the rooms look incredible. Whoever the photographer was, he definitely captured the essence of Tempo.
“Can I keep this?” I ask her.
“Yes, of course. Are you going to be all right?” She asks.
“Eventually.” Although in my heart I don’t think I will ever be okay again.
I sat in my pajamas for the next four days watching one holiday movie after another. The only person I had contact with
was the pizza delivery boy who brought my dinner each night and the delivery from the hotel. By day three, the pizza guy and I were on a first name basis. It’s amazing how much weight a girl can gain from eating a medium pepperoni pizza each night. Whatever weight I had lost over the last few weeks have been redistributed with a couple of extra pounds going straight to my bottom. Why can’t the weight ever go to the breasts? Hearing the knock at he door, I pick up my wallet and open the door to pay for my pizza.
“Karlie McKenna?” The small bespectacled man inquires.
“Yes?” I respond.
The man at the door puts a legal size envelope in my hand and turns to leave.
“Have a nice evening,” he says, as he disappears into the night.
In the corner of the envelope I read the name of the sender: Mitchell and McCarthy Attorneys at Law. Tearing the envelope open, I am shocked at what I read:
Ms. McKenna,
I regret to inform you that you are in breach of contract as of December 24th. Failure to appear at the grand opening of Tempo on December 31st will cancel the existing contract between Michael Scarpetti and Anna Sloan Design. All expenses will be the responsibility of Anna Sloan Design. Any assets at the location of Tempo will become the property of Michael Scarpetti.
Mr. Scarpetti would like to avoid any negative press that would likely accompany a lawsuit of this nature. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Mike Mitchell
P.S. Formal Attire is required.
Of all the lowdown, sneaky, underhanded things to do. I can’t believe he would send me a legal summons. Would he really follow through and destroy Anna’s company? I think maybe he would. What nerve! He even had his lawyer remind me how to dress for the event. It’s not like I don’t know how to dress for goodness sake. I have a mind to wear my pajamas to his soi
ree. The thought is amusing, but I couldn’t do that to Anna. It’s her day to shine just as much as it is Michaels.
Calling the airlines, I reserve another expensive last minute ticket. This time I am flying coach. My room is reserved at the Four Seasons and the spa has squeezed me in for a hair appointment. I have one day to find an acceptable gown.
Cherry Creek Mall is the first place I head when I need a last minute outfit. If Neiman Marcus doesn’t have what I need then I might as well go naked. The thought makes me laugh. The irony of Michael and I breaking up over a naked photo only to be seen naked at the biggest grand opening in Las Vegas is humorous.
I pour through racks upon racks of gowns
, but I can’t seem to find anything that seems perfect. It’s all about how it feels for me. I knew immediately that the Versace dress was right. I felt the same way when I bought the aqua dress. I am feeling discouraged and decide to try another store. Just then out of the corner of my eye I see the sales woman carrying the perfect silver beaded gown. “Is there another one of those around here?” I ask.
“No, this is the last one. What size do you need?” she inquires.
“I usually wear an eight.”
“Why don’t you try it on, it’s a ten
, but it tends to run a little small. It was on hold, but the person never picked it up. I have to put it back out on the rack. You should try it.”
In the dressing room I strip down to my underwear and bra. I slip the dress over my head and it slides down my body. I can feel the coolness of the beads through the fabric. It feels great
, but how does it look? I have put a couple of pounds on my bottom so this could be awful. Spinning to look at myself in the mirror, the dress looks perfect. Turning around to take a peak at my backside I can see that the extra weight is not going to work with undergarments. Slipping off my panties I turn around to take another look. The dress clings to my rear, but without the panties the line is smooth. A few less pizzas would have been better, but this will have to do. I will have to try to keep my new derriere out of site.
I am thinking that I can make an appearance, jet back to the hotel and catch the first fight out of Las Vegas in the morning. The less I have to see Michael the better for me. I am not sure how I am going to make it through the night.
“Welcome back Ms. McKenna. It’s so nice to see you again.”
“Thanks Eve, it’s lovely to see you as well.”
“You are in room 1003. Will you need assistance?”
“No, I’ve got it covered.”
It seems like a lifetime since I was here and yet it’s only been a week. I send a text to Anna to let her know that I have arrived. We agree to meet in the lobby of Tempo at six. She is staying at Tempo for the grand opening. I hope that she approves of the end result. It’s time to get ready for the night. I head to the spa to get my hair styled. I decide on an up-do with long cascading curls that fall over my right shoulder. This leaves my neck bare. The small diamond studs I brought will look nice in my ears without taking away from the rest of my ensemble. Looking in the mirror, I feel like Cinderella. Unfortunately I gave up my prince charming. I carefully put on my dress and shoes. My heart begins to pound as I see my reflection in the mirror. Can I do this? Can I walk in there with my head held high? I keep listening for my inner voice to answer me, but she remains silent.
In the lobby, heads turn as I walk through the foyer. Joshua rushes up to escort me to my waiting taxi. It’s a short ride to Tempo
, but it seems to take forever. My nerves are on edge and my hands are shaking. The taxi delivers me to the front door. I exit on unsteady legs and make my way forward. Cameramen are everywhere and the flash of the bulbs nearly blind me, but I continue to advance. Presenting my invitation to the doorman, I enter the lobby. The number of people milling about overwhelms me. I don’t recognize anyone, but I am sure that the most important people in Las Vegas are here.
In search of a familiar face I see Anna talking to a small group of people. As I approach, she begins to clap her hands. “This my new friends is the artist behind the design. I would like to introduce Karlie McKenna. Karlie this is Cooper Stiles and his wife Susan.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Stiles.” Standing next to Susan Stiles is a face I recognize. “Earl, what are you doing here?” I am so excited to see the little old man. He is decked out in a suit and a plaid bow tie.
“Mr. Scarpetti sent me a ticket and got me a room. This is a mighty fine place Karlie.”
“Yes it is Earl, but it doesn’t have you or that great elevator.”
I can feel him before I see him. My skin tingles as he approaches. He places his hands on my bare shoulders as he steps behind me. My whole body begins to quake inside.
“Can I borrow Ms. McKenna for a few minutes?” he asks.
Not waiting for an answer, he places his palm at the small of my back and escorts me out of the room. I have no idea where he is guiding me
, but his nearness is making it hard for me to think. Quickly I sidestep him, trying to break his contact with me, but he takes my elbow and pulls me closer to him.
“Don’t run from me again Karlie. Stay with me for a few minutes. I want to talk to you and if you want to leave after our talk, I won’t stand in your way. He escorts me to the elevator and quickly we rise to the rooftop patio. Standing guard is Tony.
Nodding his head he greets me. “Ms. McKenna.”
“Hi Tony.” I look at him and smile.
“Make sure we are not interrupted for any reason Tony.” Michaels request in pretty clear.
He walks me to the last place I sat with
him. “This is my favorite spot,” he says.
I am shocked at his choice of a favorite spot. “Really?”
“Don’t you think it has the best view?”
Looking over my shoulder, I glance back to where we once hid behind the umbrella. As I turn back to look at him I see a smile begin to emerge. “Yes, Michael it’s lovely.”
Cutting to the chase, Michael wastes no time getting to the point. “A week ago you left me with no explanation. I left you resting in bed and sipping coffee. When I came back, it was to a vacant room. I called you several times, but my messages went unanswered.”
I open my mouth to refute his claim
, but he puts his finger up to his lips shushing me.
“You asked for my undivided attention on our last phone call, and I am asking you for the same courtesy. Let me say what I have to say.”
Nodding my head, he begins.
“First I want to tell you how stunningly beautiful you look. When you walked in the door tonight, my heart ceased to beat.” He stares at me for a moment before resuming. “Second I want to apologize for the underhanded, sneaky way I got you here tonight. That’s right, I am admitting to being underhanded and sneaky, but you left me no other option. Just to make things crystal clear, I never would have followed through with my threat to flatten Anna Sloan Design. The day you ran from me, I was dealing with the Evan situation. I was not paying him off like you assumed. Give me more credit than that. I didn’t become as successful as I am by letting people manipulate me. I wanted him out of our life forever, so I called in some favors.” My eyes shoot up and he knows what I am thinking. “No I didn’t have him killed, you’ve got me confused with another Scarpetti. I figured that anyone who could destroy a young woman’s life just to get a good grade had to have some prior experience. A person can’t orchestrate what he did to you on the fly. My resources did some checking and what they found would make you sick. I met Evan at a local coffee shop. It seemed fitting. Initially, I had Tony and Lloyd come in snapping photos of him. He was pissed. It seems that he doesn’t like his picture being taken without his knowledge either. Next I slapped an eight by ten glossy on the table in front of him.” My eyes shoot to his and again he knows what I am thinking. “It wasn’t your photo Karlie. “The photo in front of him was none other than Vincent Scarpetti Sr. I pointed at the picture and asked him if he knew the man in front of him? He didn’t; so I was happy to introduce him to my doting daddy. I explained who my dad was and why he was imprisoned. I may have embellished a few things
, but ultimately he got the idea. I made sure that he understood that the pictures we just took would make it easy for my dad to find him. I told him that threatening the woman I love was akin to threatening my dad and I didn’t think that would go over well. The whole time he was in the coffee shop, several agents were looking through his hotel and back at his home in Boulder, Colorado. I just needed him to ask for the money and I had him for extortion. If they found anything in his apartment, it would just lead to additional charges. I had to play it smart. I asked him if he had other photos of you and he said yes. I warned him that to release those or try to extort additional funds could be deadly for him. I had Lloyd bring in a case full of money. Handing it to Evan I told him the bag had the $10,000.00 he asked for and I never wanted to see him again. His face grew red and do you know what the idiot did? He screamed at me, telling me it was $100,000.00 and he would accept nothing less considering he spent six weeks in jail for a parking ticket. I didn’t even need a wire. He was so loud that everyone in the shop and on the street heard him. The police rushed in and placed him under arrest. The searches turned up an extensive collection of pornography. Many of the photos looked like underage girls. The photos of you were located as well. They will be destroyed after his trial. The other girls are being identified and will be contacted to see if he has tried to extort money from any of them. So you see, I told you I was handling it Karlie, and I did. The man will be lucky if he gets out of prison before he’s fifty. If those photos of you ever surface again, he will meet some of my dad’s prison buddies.”