Love.com (10 page)

Emily
clutched the matchbook, determined she’d follow the pair the next time they disappeared. She would find out the truth. That would be enough to end these feelings for him. She hated herself for continuing to worship him from afar. She was convinced if she learned the office rumors were true, the feelings she had for Ian would vanish in an instant. Maybe if she rubbed her own nose in the matter, she could move on?

She tried to forget about her disastrous first date, but she dwelled on it with disappointment.

Emily was desperate to forget about Ian. He was destroying her social life. She knew how sick and unhealthy this obsession with him was becoming. She was killing herself just to get a man to notice her. On a good day she only thought about Ian a half-dozen times. On a bad day; she conjured a whole made-up life with him, complete with a house across the street from Joan, three adorable kids, and a dog named Sparky. It wasn’t real. It would never be real.

It had to stop. Whatever caused Ian to become manifested in her brain wasn’t good for her. She hated herself more than she had the first day she met him. The failure she felt to get him to notice her was evident each time he passed by her in the office, inclining his head in greeting, but nothing more.

She approved the artwork submitted by Ian. The
photos were the best of the lot and Evan loved them. Ian appeared stunned when she passed the hard copies around the table during a conference that day. Stu looked confused as he looked them over.

“Where did these come from? I never saw any of these? Where are the submission releases for these?”

Emily frowned and glanced at Ian, shrugging. “I don’t know where the submission releases are right now, but I think these photos are our strongest so far.”

“We need th
ose releases, Em,” Evan reminded her and nodded as he looked them over. “We can’t use them without the photographer’s permission.”

Ian seemed to digest this without comment. Emily looked over at him and wondered why he didn’t speak up to say where he got the photographs
and take full credit. Tabitha took that moment to voice her own concerns.

“We can’t run with unapproved artwork, Emily. Is this all you have so far?
Really?”

Emily glared at Tabitha as she replaced the photos in the file folder in front of her. “I’ll get the releases. We
are using them.”

Evan nodded in approval, smiling. “Yeah, I like these better than the others. We run with these. Em will get the releases. Anybody got anything else before I leave to meet with our editing department?”

Tabitha simmered in annoyance, muttering under her breath. She had vivid red, dry splotches all over her face, obviously unaware her face powder was spiked with Comet. Her eyes were red and puffy, no doubt from the copier ink in her mascara. Emily giggled as the girl lamented over her irritated face daily. She knew she sought a dermatologist and had no idea of what she applied to her face each day. There was some satisfaction in knowing Tabitha didn’t look quite so hot these days, but little else.

I
an looked at Emily with his same engaging grin, waiting until the conference room cleared out to approach her. He seemed hesitant as he walked towards her. His blue eyes appeared darker as they met hers.

“I thought you
didn’t like the pictures I sent you,” Ian accused softly, making her chest flutter inside from his nearness.

Emily shrugged, tearing her eyes
from his. “I gave them a second look. Tell me you have the releases, Ian. I can’t use them without a photographer signing off. You know the rules. So who is the photographer you used? Somebody you know personally?”

Ian shrugged and smiled secretly. “Just a guy I know. He’ll sign off
, don’t worry about that.”

“The
models in the photos have to sign off too,” Emily added absently, refusing to not fall under the spell in his eyes.

“That might be a
bit of a problem,” Ian said softly.

Emily’s head snapped up. “Why is it a problem?”

“He just came upon them at the park. It was just a candid shot. He doesn’t know the people in the pictures. They weren’t actors.”

Emily stared at him, dread filling her
at his disclosure, coming too late before she erred in submitting them to use in the ad. “We could get sued, Ian. The kid in the pictures is a minor, you realize? His parents would have to agree to let the print be used. What the hell were you thinking giving me unapproved artwork? Evan will have a shit fit if he finds out!”

Ian looked slightly hurt, his expression
now guarded. “I asked what you thought of them. I didn’t think you would actually use them.”

Emily was reeling to know she screwed up be
yond all recognition. She was going to look like a complete amateur if it got out she submitted unapproved pictures for the ad, not to mention shake Evan’s confidence in her. She was furious with Ian, and herself, for making such a horrible mistake.

“Then I have no choice but to pull them unless your photographer friend hangs out in the park and finds these people before we run these.”

Ian looked upset. It flared in his eyes and then it was gone. “I understand. I should have told you where I got them.”

“Why didn’t you tell me they were unsolicited?” Emily looked at him accusingly. “May I remind you that you’re on the same side as us? This isn’t helping us with the campaign, Ian! Jesus! I look like a dumb ass now!”

“I’m sorry, Emily,” Ian said and looked away. “I just wanted your opinion about them.”

She stared at him in sudden comprehension. “You
took those pictures, didn’t you?”

“Don’t be silly,” Ian scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I’m not a photographer, Em
ily.”

“You took them
, didn’t you?” She accused him under her breath, eyes filled with anger. “You made all that crap up about your photographer friend taking them. Why?”

“Save that imagination for the ad, Em. I didn’t take the pictures.”

Emily wasn’t convinced. A stubborn glint entered her eyes. “You have five weeks to find those people, Ian. I’m running them. Try explaining this too Evan if he finds out.”

He looked outraged. “You said that you can’t use them! How am I…is he
, supposed to find those people?”

“
That’s your problem now. Start hanging out in the park more and not the Carlton Hotel.”

Ian looked confused at her words, making her even angrier as she snatched up the file and marched out of the conference room
.

Emily
was so angry she could feel steam coming out of her nostrils. She slammed the door to her office and shut the blinds, sinking into her chair with a groan of dismay. This was a disaster! If Ian didn’t track those people down and get their permission to use the photos, her career suddenly looked very bleak. Evan might forgive an oversight like this, but not her knowingly pushing the photos for a major deal like Ambidor. What possessed her to issue such a challenge to Ian? She closed her eyes, knowing the answer already.

Emily
still had some lingering hope, some faith, that he was the man she made him into. She thought he would rise to the challenge and save her from certain disaster. How she could risk her career and reputation over a crush?

Still, they had five weeks until the artwork was released. She prayed
Ian had enough sense to go back to the park he shot the photos in and hope the old lady and little boy reappeared. It was a slim hope he could track them down in time.

She knew it was ridiculous to have demanded it of him.
Her refusal to admit the mistake to Evan and the others made her grind her teeth in fury. She was letting her fear of being ridiculed by the others blind her to the real possibility Ian could fail in finding the people in time.

Emily raked herself over the coals half the day until she noticed Tabitha making her great escape. Ian was already gone. Her eyes narrowed as she opened her drawer and removed her purse. She was going to find out the truth and be done with Ian the Unattainable before it cost her everything. She waited until Tabitha entered the elevator to the parking garage before she got up to follow her.

~ ~ ~

The Carlton
Hotel lobby was crowded when she entered, wearing sunglasses under a New York Yankees ball cap. To say she didn’t look like she was trying to disguise herself was ridiculous. The hat didn’t go with the suit. She saw Tabitha at the desk; saw her wander to the gilt elevator. She walked to the desk and waited behind two old ladies until the clerk was freed up. He was regarding her snootily as he filled out his papers, his dismissive gaze taking in her appearance with a hint of disdain.

“May I help you?” He hardly paid her any mind as he continued to shuffle papers.

“Yes, that young woman…the pretty dark-haired one who just left,” Emily began with a smile. “I followed her in and she dropped her wallet. I’d like to return it to her.”

The clerk shook his head. “I can take it from you and see that she gets it, but I can’t let you go up to her room, miss. We have strict rules.”

“Yes, but you see, I don’t feel comfortable just turning it in and leaving.” Emily ground her teeth to see the clerk was unmoved. “How do I know you’ll give it to her?”

The young man looked outraged. “Are you implying I would take it?”

Emily could see she pissed the guy off. She tried another approach, reading his name tag. Marty wasn’t budging. “No, I had my purse stolen before, Marty. I know the pain of having to go to the DMV and cancel credit cards. You can’t possibly know how distressful it is to a woman to lose her stuff. I’m sure the lady would appreciate me returning it to her. I would even suggest it was your idea and speak with her about a reward.”

“I don’t know,”
Marty responded hesitantly, obviously intrigued by the possibility of a reward, despite the rules of the hotel. “I could get into a lot of trouble, lady.”

“I swear I won’t say you allowed me to go up
, Marty. I’ll just say I followed her. I swear it. I’ll tell ya what? I’ll give you a twenty-spot to let me be a Good Samaritan? What do you say?” Emily regarded him hopefully.

The young man looked outraged
, his voice lowering to a furious whisper. “Try making it fifty bucks, lady! Twenty bucks is all you got? That’s not even worth me giving you the room number. What? Do you think I’m an idiot? Anybody can see your trying to catch your guy cheating on you! Just say so!”

Emily gritted her teeth. “Fine! Fifty bucks!” She took the money out of her purse and slid it across the counter
to Marty. “What’s the room number?”

Marty
grinned, showing himself in need of more than just a personality. His teeth were only one of the reasons he didn’t smile much. Making minimum wage as a hotel clerk obviously wasn’t his idea of killer jobs. Taking her for fifty bucks to give her Tabitha’s room number was.

“She’s in room
three forty-eight on the third floor,” Marty confided under his breath, looking around discreetly for signs of his manager. “The babe and the guy get here separately every week. He’s already up there. You make a scene and we never had this conversation; got that?”

Emily nodded and
walked away from the counter. She felt like a fool as she made her way to the elevator. She went to the third floor, taking a deep breath. She stood in front of the door in question. She put her ear to the door and heard muted, faint sounds within.

She realized she would appear like a total lunatic if she interrupted them. Tabitha and Ian weren’t committing adultery here
. They weren’t doing anything wrong. She felt stupid now. She had no choice but to wait and see who came out of the room to satisfy her own curiosity.

Emily found a plastic plant to hide behind
down the hall, feeling ridiculous as time passed at a snail’s pace. She almost left several times. She was about to abandon her recon mission when the door opened and Tabitha departed.

Her eyes were glued to the door, hardly
daring to breathe. She waited for Ian to walk out of the hotel room, vowing to give up on whatever feelings she had for him if he was sneaking around with Tabitha. The minutes passed. She swore softly under her breath. What was taking him so long?

The door finally opened. She stared
as seconds dragged on, praying the office gossips were wrong. Her eyes bugged out of her head when the man finally cleared the threshold.

Seeing Stuart Stiles close the door and leave the hotel room made her
release her breath in a rush. Relief filled her to know Ian wasn’t having an affair with Tabitha, but Stu. She waited until the elevator door closed and leaned against the wall for support. She was so happy to know Ian wasn’t involved with Tabitha she almost wept in joy then; disgusted to no end it cost her fifty bucks to find that out.

After ten minutes,
Emily left the hotel and drove back to work. Even if it cost her fifty bucks she could hardly afford, it was worth it to know everyone was wrong
. Her Ian
was once more perfect in her eyes.