Chapter Thirteen
The taxi sped from Cambridge, through busy traffic, over the Charles River, and around Boston Common and right in front of the hotel in about thirty minutes. In her mind, Caroline was making the full mental calculation of what this cab ride meant. It was going to have to be in and out. Pretty much that and nothing more. She knew nothing about Jack Reiner and the last thing she wanted was make herself look… She searched for a word as they disembarked car. Cheap? Slutty? Desperate? She couldn’t decide.
“Here we are,” Jack said, breaking the ice. He had kept quiet since they made the getaway escape. She had leaned toward him, without fully giving herself.
Absorbed in her thoughts, Caroline didn’t respond to the comment. Stepping out of the taxi, she had forgotten about the missing heel and landed on her feet trying hard to keep her balance. She wondered if she would be recognized. She tip-toed on her left and held onto the receptive arm extended toward her.
“Is this where you are staying?” She asked casually. She shouldn’t have asked. It was obvious. They were clearly not out for dinner. By the look of his eyes and how he held her and massaged her legs while keeping his hand disciplined from venturing beyond the slit of her dress, he wasn’t looking forward to sitting at the bar and chatting about Golf.
“Nowhere better.” He answered. “Good evening, Carson,” he waved to the attendant that opened the door for them.
“Welcome back, Mr. Reiner.”
Every single hotel employee they passed by received them with a warm greeting. He was in his home territory, Caroline thought. Leaning more into him and trying to make her movement with one heel seem as natural as possible. The way he was greeted and treated was one of accommodation, not an intrusion. She wondered if he did this all the time. If so, she considered this a walk of shame. One of the many that were paraded into the hotel and dispensed off at the end.
“Do you do this often?” She whispered to him as they made their way to the bank of elevators, right after he came back to her after talking to the concierge. She had spent less than a minute awkwardly standing and avoiding the gaze of passersby. The surprising thing for her was it was almost as if no one cared who she was. Or, they didn’t know her. Either way, the experience had relaxed her, and she was looking forward to seeing what the evening would bring. She would have to go back to her apartment soon, talk to her father, and prepare for the big day tomorrow.
“Sure, when I am not home, I do usually stay at a hotel. It’s better than the alternative, wouldn’t you say?”
“You know what I meant?”
“I am afraid not, Ms. Caroline McKenzie. Did I tell you, you have a beautiful name?”
“I doubt it.”
“Well, my apologies, my lady.”
“Apology accepted. Why don’t you answer the question?” She asked, grateful that it was just the two of them in the elevator.
“I hope you don’t wish me to be homeless.”
“Is that what you consider? Being alone?”
“Wow. Wow. How did we get from staying at the hotel to being alone?”
“Have you noticed we haven’t had a proper conversation since we met?”
“If you don’t count the formal, Mr. Reiner - Ms. McKenzie emails, I suppose you are right.”
“The emails weren’t conversations.”
“You are right. The emails were where you begged me to come, and…”
“I did no such thing,” she laughed and hit him on his arm. A gentle smack. He was elusive. Must be experienced in doing this, she thought.
“Well, I have the evidence to back it up, and then this morning. I was pretty much saved by the pole.”
The elevator chimed indicating their arrival at the 32nd floor. They stepped off and took a right turn. Walked a few paces forward and there it was. The room, the danger zone.
“I should have talked to you before coming here,” Caroline said, putting up a last minute resistance.
“In our defense, we needed to get away quickly to save you from embarrassment.”
“Save me?” She said it in a high pitched voice. He was just not elusive, but arrogant as hell.
“Well, I suspect we will have plenty of opportunities to litigate the point. For now, welcome to my bachelor pad.” Jacked opened the door. It was a vast and comfortable looking suite with wide open entertainment space, kitchen on the side and a separate bedroom. It was impressive.
Caroline had seen plenty of beautiful places thanks to her father’s connections. This felt cozy to her. She couldn’t wait until she could rest her foot. She walked ahead of him and sat on the chocolate brown leather couch. She felt her body sink and rest. It felt good.
