Mastered by His Touch-Complete Box Set (4 page)

Just as quickly as he opened it, he closed the book and put it back in the box.

Then he took the big metal briefcase and brought it up to the desk. He undid the latches, then folded his hands and looked directly in my eyes.

His eyes narrow as he looks into mine. I lose myself in his stare. I'm hardly breathing at all.

My hand had been resting on the table. Suddenly his is on mine. It's like a thousand-volt shock to my nervous system. I inhale deeply and I feel my eyes go wide.

In that moment, I know somehow I can trust this man. Call me naïve. Call me a stupid silly girl taken in by big beautiful aquamarine eyes encased in a powerful manly frame.

Fine.

I know... I just know. I felt it the day I first saw him. I have a connection with this man that I don't fully understand yet. But it is one of the most powerful feelings I've ever felt. And it comes from somewhere deep inside me.

Then he let go of my hand and returned to the big silver case. He flipped the top up.

I gasped. Inside were stacks of hundred-dollar bills. God, there must be at least a million dollars here in this case. Maybe two.

Oh, fuck, Kiri, you're in over your head. Run! Get away from this man now!

Chill, I told myself. I work at a bank. I see accounts with ten times this much money every day. Why is this freaking me out?

Because it's so much in cash! And it's not in the vault, which is the only place I ever see this many bills all together. This is a huge red flag. There is something wrong here!

He took out ten stacks of bills and put them in the small box, filling it completely. One hundred thousand dollars.

Then he closed the box. He flipped the lid down on the case, locked it, and put it on the floor.

My hands were still in the same spot on the table. He grabbed both of mine in his again, and squeezed them tight while looking me in the eyes.

All my doubts vanished. I felt a calm peaceful warmth emanate from my hands all around my body. It traveled to the top of my head and down to my toes. My pussy got some of it and used it to light another wet fire. I swear if he threw me on the table and ripped my clothes off, I would let him, fuck my job I don't care.

But he didn't.

He stood, picking up the box in one hand and the case in the other. I took the hint and opened the door, holding it for him.

By now, word must have traveled around the bank about the mysterious stranger who will only do business with Kiri. I could tell because everybody looked up at us as we walked back into the vault, then quickly returned to their work.

He replaced the box in the wall, entered his code, and removed both keys. He handed mine back to me.

"Thank you, Kiri," he said. "Walk me to the door?"

"Sure," I said.

I locked the vault, buzzed him out, and we walked across the main floor past the tellers to the ATMs at the front.

"I can't thank you enough, Kiri," he said as he grabbed my hand and pressed something in my palm, closing my fingers around it and wrapping his hands around mine. "Happy birthday."

Whatever it was he gave me, it made my safe deposit master key press into the flesh of my palm.

God, I think he just gave me his phone number! And how the fuck does he know my birthday is next week?

His eyes pierced me like he could see my soul. I couldn't speak. Nothing mattered. The bank drifted away. The pounding rain outside the window drifted away. All that existed was him and me, our hands clasped, my heart beating out of my chest and my breathing out of control.

In a flash, he was gone. He dove into the back of a black limousine and it sped off.

I turned around and looked at everyone in the bank staring at me. They all quickly returned their attention to their computers.

I opened up my palm, expecting a business card with his phone number. I gasped and almost screamed when I saw what I saw.

I quickly closed my hand in case the security cameras caught what was in it.

I turned back around and ran through the door out into the rain. His limo was stopped behind three other cars at the Dartmouth Street light, three quarters of a block away.

I ran across Exeter Street, but soon realized my heels weren't helping me. I took them off. That didn't help either because the brick on this part of the sidewalk was almost impossible to run on.

"Hey!" I shouted as I got closer to the limo. "Hey!"

The light turned green. Shit, I was only a quarter of the way to the next block. I stopped as I saw the group of cars pass through the intersection. I stood there in the rain watching as his limo turned left down Dartmouth and was gone.

Shit.

I tightened my fist and ran back to the bank. When I walked in, dripping wet, everyone stared again. This time they didn't stop.

I must have had an odd expression on my face because the look I was getting from all over was concern.

I made a beeline for the ladies' room in the back. I went in and locked the door behind me.

The face that looked back at me from the mirror was a sweaty, rainy wreck. My fist was still closed. I had to hide what was in it. But where?

I opened my hand and saw what I saw before. Two keys. My safe deposit box master key and his. I took out Horace Willoughby's personal safe deposit box key and stuffed it in my bra.

Then I fixed myself up and went back to work.

Chapter 4

"Happy birthday to you..."
the song began.

How I hate that song. Can't we, as the supposedly advanced culture we are, finally get rid of that fucking song?

I was at Forum with my brother Dan, his girlfriend Nikki, Troy and his boyfriend Dean, and my friends Kelly and Alicia.

None of us could actually afford to eat at Forum but it was my birthday and Dan insisted.

I took a swig from my martini while the song wrapped up and everybody applauded.

"My big sis is twenty-four," Dan said. "Wow! Getting old, girl."

Dan is two years younger than me. Because I'm adopted, he looks nothing like me. Lighter skin. Black spiky hair and lots of muscles from years in the gym. Dressed in a print T-shirt, black jeans, and red sneakers.

"Shut up, Joko," I said as I sipped my martini. Dan scowled. He hated the nickname I gave him when he was ten.

"So what are we going to do after this?" said Kelly, who was visibly drunk.

"Well, I don't know about
we
," I said, "but I think you're going home before you pass out."

"Whaaaaaat? I'm fine. I'm going clubbing after this."

"With Alexa and Dani, right?"

"No!" said Kelly as she fumbled in her purse. "Well, okay, yes."

Alicia just looked at me and rolled her eyes.

"Honey," said Alicia. "We're not eighteen anymore. It's okay to go home after dinner. At least once a year."

"Very funny," said Kelly as she stood up with difficulty. "I'll sleep when I'm dead. Where's the ladies room?"

Dan made a thumb gesture and we all watched Kelly walk like she was stepping on broken glass. Her tight white dress glittered like her highlighted blonde hair.

"You know what she's going to do back there," I said.

"Uh-huh," said Alicia.

"What?" said Troy.

I put my hand up to my nostrils and made a snorting sound.

"Oh, really?" said Troy. "Yeah, I can see that."

"We're two years out of college," I said, "and she isn't anywhere near to getting a job."

"She doesn't need to," said Dan. "She's a trust fund baby. She's set for life."

"I know," I said, "but c'mon, can you spend your entire life partying, doing drugs, and going to clubs?"

"You can if you plan on dying young," said Alicia.

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," I said. "I'm going to have to talk to her."

"You're a good friend with a good heart, Kiri," said Dan, "but people are what they are. You can't save the world. It took me a long time to figure that out."

"That's why you're in pre-med for emergency medicine, right?"

"Yeah, whatever," he said as his girlfriend rubbed his arm and smiled at him. I've never seen him so happy since he met Nikki.

The waitress came to clear away the dessert plates and asked if there was anything else we needed. We all said no. She came back a few seconds later with the bill. Dan whipped out his credit card.

Kelly returned, more upright with wide eyes. She practically gleamed. Alicia stole a look at me. I nodded.

"Well, thank you everybody," I said. "This has been fantastic. Best birthday ever."

"Come with me to Royale!" said Kelly. "It'll be fun."

"No thanks," I said.

"You want to come over and hang with Nik and me?" Dan said.

And be all uncomfortable while you two make googly eyes at each other waiting for me to leave? No thanks.

"No, I'm good," I said as I stood up. "I'm going to head home."

Outside it was a fresh spring night, a little cool but after the long cold winter we had it was delightful. Kelly and Alicia headed toward downtown. Troy and Dean went over to the Pru for something Dean wanted to get at the mall. Dan, Nikki, and I walked down Boylston Street toward the Hynes T stop.

Nikki was the most gorgeous girlfriend Dan has ever had, and he's had a few. She reminds me of Rihanna. Dark skin, incredible green eyes, and a slinky body that tonight was wrapped in a tight black dress, a shiny jacket made of some material I couldn't identify, and big black boots with pointed toes. Her fingernails were painted white.

But there was something about her that was unusual. I couldn't put my finger on it, but every time I saw her I got a vibe I didn't understand. I was going to have to mention that to Dan sometime.

But tonight I had a different question.

"Nikki," I said, "you work at Channel 5, right?"

"Well, I don't actually work there," she said. "It's an internship. I'm planning on getting a job as a reporter when I graduate. I'd like it to be there but I'll probably have to start in Worcester or Providence or somewhere else."

"Oh wow, I can totally see you on the air!"

"Thanks."

"I just wanted to ask if you had any advice on how to look somebody up... you know, background checks and stuff."

"Yeah, I know how to do that."

"Because there's a... shit, I shouldn't be talking about this... there's a person I need to find who left something at the bank. And I... need to get it back to him."

"Is he a bank customer?" said Dan.

"Yes," I said, "but the phone number he gave us is disconnected. And the address he used doesn't exist. I did a web search and as far as I can tell
he
doesn't really exist."

"Oooh, a mystery," said Nikki. "I love mysteries. What type of man is he?"

"Well, he looks a little like one of the guys that played James Bond before the current guy."

"Pierce Brosnan," said Dan. "He was a lightweight. Daniel Craig is so much better."

"No, not that one. Who was the one before that?"

"Timothy Dalton?"

"Yes, kind of like him only younger and better-looking with a bigger squarer jaw. Bigger frame too, like he has lots of muscles. Slicked-back black hair. Deep aquamarine eyes. Expensive suit. Got that picture?"

"Oooh, I sure do," said Nikki.

"Now add to that the arrogant way George Clooney walks and talks like he's the total shit."

"Oh honey that's the total package right there," said Nikki.

"Hey!" said Dan, "I'm right here!"

"Sorry, hun," said Nikki and kissed him on the cheek. "Nobody's more manly than you."

We were at Mass Ave. We turned right. The cars on the Pike hummed in streams underneath us.

"So do you have anything else to go on?" said Nikki.

"No," I said. "That's the problem. All I know is that he's rich and his name is Horace Willoughby."

"Horace Willoughby?" said Nikki. "No way. That isn't the name he gave you, is it?"

"Yes, why?"

"That's the name of a character in a book I read a long time ago. Damn, I don't remember the name of the book but I remember Horace Willoughby because it was so silly."

I almost stopped dead in my tracks.

"Was the name of the book
Death at Sea?
" I said.

"Yes!" said Nikki. "That's it. You've read it then."

"No. I just... I ... I think I just heard it somewhere," I said.

"It's the most god-awful boring story," said Nikki. "My dad had an old copy on his bookshelf. I think it was written back in the 1930s. Or twenties maybe. It sucked."

"What's it about?"

"You know, I completely forget. Something about a treasure. It was so bad I've forgotten the details. I just remember that name."

"Hmm, interesting," I said.

After pinging our Charlie Cards and passing through the stalls, we parted ways. Nikki's place is in the North End and I lived the opposite direction in Allston. I fucking hate Allston. I'm only there because it's cheap but I'm sick of the college parties, the dilapidated buildings, and people throwing up in the streets.

As I rode the B-train I noticed a guy I had seen earlier. About forty, red hair in a crew-cut, plain dark green jacket, black pants and shoes. Reading a newspaper.

A light chill surrounded my body. I'm not sure why, but I felt incredibly vulnerable all of a sudden.

The B-train emerged from the tunnel and several people got off at Blandford Street. At each stop, the crowd thinned more and more but Red Crew-Cut just stayed there.

Where did I see him earlier in the evening?

Trying to remember, I stole a couple of glances at him. He was engrossed in his paper.

The restaurant!

Before we went in, he was outside. I saw him standing in front of a doorway. And he was reading a newspaper then!

My heart beat faster. I reached into my purse without looking and touched the key.

The damned key.

What the fuck? Why is this happening to me? Why did Horace Fucking Willoughby give me that damned key? Does he want me to retrieve what's in the box?

Doesn't he know there's no way I can do that? Not only would it be a breach of bank security, I could never possibly get away with it. Not with all the protocols and security cameras in place.

Like anyone ever checks that.

Troy's words came back to me in a flash. No, I think Troy is wrong. If anything suspicious ever happened, the first thing they would do is retrieve the video.

But they wouldn't retrieve the video if they didn't know anything was taken.

Shut up, Kiri. I'm not taking what's int the box. It belongs to H.

H.

My God, I barely know this man. And yet I'm comparing every man I see to him now. I'm even going home with strangers and pretending they're him. I'm not acting like myself at all lately.

Not to mention those two vividly lifelike flashes of being on a sinking boat. What the fuck is that? And now I swear I'm being followed. I think I might be losing my mind. Maybe it's time to seek some help.

The train lurched left a little too fast at Packard's Corner. Red Crew-Cut kept staring at his paper.

I'm just being paranoid, right? He probably had dinner with friends in the Back Bay and is heading home just like me, right?

I zipped my purse shut. My stop was next. I got up and walked to the door at the end away from Red Crew-Cut. Nobody else moved.

The train stopped at Harvard Street and he turned to face the door.

Shit, he's getting out here at my stop!

His doors opened a full second before mine. He stepped out along with two other people. I stepped down like I was about to step out, but then stopped and went backwards up a step, staying on the train. The doors closed.

As the train moved past Kelly's Roast Beef I watched the back of Red Crew-Cut as he walked up Harvard Ave toward Brighton Ave.