Unleash Me, Vol. 2 (Unleash Me, Annihilate Me Series) (7 page)

“
Didn
’
t the doorman offer you
coffee?
”

He didn
’
t
answer.

“
That will be
taken care of today,
”
I
said.
 
“
I wish you would have called me.
 
I would have brought you down a pot
myself.
”

“
I appreciate
that, but it
’
s really
no issue.
 
I
’
m fine.
”

Was there a deeper voice on the planet?
 
I thought Tank
’
s voice was deep.
 
Then I met Marco Boss, whose voice trumped Tank
’
s.
 
Now,
Cutter trounced both of them.
 
He
sounded as if his voice came from the hollow of a deep barrel.
 

“
Are men like
you raised on a farm?
”
I
asked.

He raised his eyebrows at me.
 
“
Are we raised
on a what?
”

“
A farm.
 
Tank is the largest human being I
’
ve ever met.
 
Then somebody else entered the picture
and took the crown.
 
You probably
already know who that is, but I
’
m
not mentioning his name.
 
But you,
Cutter?
 
You take the cake.
”

He grinned at me.
 
“
There are a few guys like
us around.
”

“
Maybe in the
WWE, but who knew that some of you had other professions?
 
How tall are you?
”

“
Six-eight.
”

“
And you can
find clothes that fit you?
”

“
It can be a
challenge.
 
Let
’
s just say I generally
have to use a tailor.
”

“
Me too.
 
I need to pull everything in.
 
Nothing fits me
—
everything is always too big. Blackwell makes fun
of me because I amount to a bit of nothing.
”

“
Not in Times
Square, you don
’
t.
”

“
That
’
s just because I
’
ve been blown up larger
than life.
 
By the way, I put sugar
in your espresso.
 
I didn
’
t know how you
’
d like it
—
I just went all
traditional on you.
 
But now,
looking at you, I think I should have brought you a triple shot.
 
That
’
s hardly going to have an affect on you.
”

He downed his drink and shook his head.
 
“
Totally
disagree, ma
’
am.
 
This will get my day started just right.
”

“
Please don
’
t tell me that I look like
a
‘
ma
’
am
’
to you.
”

“
That
’
s not what I meant
—”

“
Just call me
Lisa, OK?
 
I
’
m twenty-five.
 
Barely an infant.
 
I
’
m not ready to be called
‘
ma
’
am
’
just
yet.
 
Or ever.
 
Call it vanity.
 
Hell, call it delusion.
 
But I can
’
t go there yet, especially if we
’
re about to become good friends.
 
So, it
’
s Lisa and Cutter.
”

“
All right,
”
he said.
 
“
Lisa
and Cutter it is.
”

“
And by the
way
—
where did
you get the name
‘
Cutter
’
?
”

“
It
’
s actually my middle name.
”

“
What
’
s your first name?
”

“
Edward.
”

“
I like
Edward.
 
But I have to say that I
like Cutter better.
”

“
Me too.
”

I downed the last of my espresso and then held out a hand for his
mug.
 
“
Blackwell is expecting me at nine,
”
I said.
 
“
If
I fail her, I will have failed the Western world and be taken to task for
it.
 
Here, let me give these cups to
the doorman who didn
’
t
offer you coffee.
 
I
’
ll pick them up later. We
need to get out of here now or my head will roll.
”

“
I
’
ve got the car waiting at
the curb,
”
he said.

When I returned empty handed, I reached into my pants pocket for the
thumb drive with Kevin
’
s
picture on it.
 
“
Tank asked me to give this
to you.
”

“
This is the
photo of your ex?
”

“
You already
know about it?
”

He nodded.
 
“
We
’
ll need to talk later today so you can give the team a
full description of the person you saw last night.
”

“
I
’
m there.
”

“
Ready to go?
”

“
More than
ready.
 
She
’
ll kill me if I
’
m
late.
”

Cutter quickly told me the protocol I was to follow.
 
He then stepped out on to the sidewalk,
looked up and down the street, and waved me his way.
 
Within seconds, I was in the car and we
were off to Wenn.

*
 
*
 
*

When we arrived at Blackwell
’
s
office on the fifty-first floor, she gave me a quick glance, tilting her head
to her side as she studied what I
’
d
chosen to wear while I removed my coat.
 
Then, her eyes snapped to Cutter
’
s.
 

“
Phase two,
”
she said.

“
Absolutely,
ma
’
am.
”

“
Please close
the door behind you, Cutter.
 
Thank
you.
 
And thank you for watching
over this one last night.
 
You
’
ll see a bump in your pay
for that.
”
 
When he began to protest, she
said,
“
Don
’
t argue.
 
You always want to argue with me when
extra pay is involved, and it renders me deaf.
 
Now, scoot.
 
You earned it.
 
Give us fifteen minutes, and then follow
through.
 
When you do, I
’
ll need you and another
member of your security team here.
 
You know why.
”

“
Yes, ma
’
am.
”

He closed the door, and I looked at Blackwell, not sure what to
anticipate after that exchange.
 
I
thought she looked perhaps the most formidable I
’
d ever seen her.
 
Her suit was black, fitted, cutting-edge.
 
Her black hair, usually worn in a bob,
was spikey and suggested an aggressive, angular look.
 
Her skin seemed to glow from within, and
her eyeliner and eye shadow were more pronounced than ever, but her lips were
the real statement
—
they
were beyond red.
 
All she needed
were broad strokes of paint across her cheeks, and she
’
d look as if she was about to go to war.
 
There was an energy coming off her that
I hadn
’
t felt before.
 
She
’
d always been aggressive.
 
But what sat before me was
ferocious.
 
She looked like a hawk
ready to feast on its first meal in weeks.

Her face softened and she got up out of her chair, came over to me,
reached for my hands, and took them in her own.
 
“
I
love, love, love what you
’
re
wearing.
 
So on trend.
 
So faboo.
 
I would have paired it all with faux
red-rimmed glasses, but you probably don
’
t have anything like that yet.
 
So, we
’
ll just get them later.
 
Just you and me, OK?
 
It will be our afternoon out.
 
By the way, the Dior pumps made me
tremble when I saw them.
”

“
They
’
re Jennifer
’
s.
”

“
I don
’
t care who they belong
to.
 
You wore them on purpose.
 
You wore them for me
—
I know you did!
 
And I love you for it.
 
You look like a rising young author
ready to take the world by the balls.
”
 

She extricated herself from me and then appraised me.
 
“
I
’
m sorry about last
night.
 
Mostly for the first part,
and obviously for what happened later with your ex.
 
But we
’
ll deal with each soon.
”
 
She kissed
me on the cheek, took a seat behind her desk, and lifted an eyebrow at me when
I sat down.
 
“
If Jennifer had your fashion sense, I wouldn
’
t be aging as quickly as I
am now.
”

“
Oh,
please.
 
You look the same as when I
first met you.
”

Blackwell held out a pointed finger at me.
 
“
Don
’
t you dare lie to me.
 
Not now.
 
Not ever.
”

“
I
’
m not lying.
”

“
Then explain
this teeny line next to my right eye.
”
 
She pointed to it.
 
“
This
one.
 
This one right here.
”

“
You expect me
to even see that?
”

“
Of course I
do.
”

“
Well, I can
’
t.
”

“
Then we need
to get you to a doctor and get you real glasses.
 
Bifocals.
 
I can
’
t have a blind author under my watch.
”

“
You
’
re killing me.
”

When she leaned forward, I could see by the expression on her face that
all joking between us had just ended.
 
“
We don
’
t have much time.
”

“
For what?
”

She didn
’
t
say.
 
Instead, she plunged
forward.
 
“
In your own words, tell me exactly what transpired
between you and Boss last night.
 
Before anything happens, I need to hear it from you first.
”

Before anything happens
…
?
 
“
What
’
s going to happen?
”

“
Don
’
t be na
ï
ve
—
we both know.
 
Now, be quick.
 
Spill it.
 
We have only ten minutes.
”

I told her everything.

“
So, he really
did do that to you,
”
she
said.
 
“
At first, I couldn
’
t believe it.
 
How was he with Julian West?
”

“
He was fine
until I broke the news that the book West wanted to buy was going through a
total rewrite.
 
And then Julian went
off on him.
 
When Boss challenged
him, West just threw up his hands and walked away.
 
He was willing to offer seven figures
for that option.
 
I think he
’
d still pay that price,
but what he made very clear to both of us was that he
’
d only do so if the book that was published remained in
its original form
—
not
the version that Boss was proposing.
”