Page 13 of Burning for You

Not wanting to leave empty-handed, and partly needing to ascertain if Carolyn Meyer is part of the land seizure, I ask, “Does she have an office here?”

“Meyer? No. She’s just on the board.”

I think about it. “Take me to Bright’s office, then.”

“I ain’t doing that!”

“Barnesy, I could’ve died for you that day when I carried you out of your burning house. Don’t you think this is just a small favor to ask?” I never wanted to be a hero, but if that gives me a ticket to saving my family’s land, I’ll take it.

“Geez, man!” Grant says guiltily. “It’s on another floor.”

Avoiding the meeting room where we saw Josh and Carolyn, Grant takes us back to the elevator through a different way.

We’re now on the forty-third floor, and the space is even sparser. Maybe the whole floor is the office of Joshua Bright.

“Turn left, through that corridor,” Grant points out, his feet rooted to the elevator floor. “You’ll see a huge photo of the rooftop garden of this building. From there, turn left again. His office will be ahead of you. Big oak doors, you can’t miss it.”

“You coming?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I follow Grant’s instructions. Those doors, which look to have come from the Winchester House, stare at me with warning. On one side, a woman sits at a desk, typing away with speed. I presume she’s Bright’s secretary.

Retreating a couple of steps, I realize my partner in crime is not with me. I scamper back to the elevator where Grant is standing near a tall plant, looking every bit a Baby Groot.

“What the hell are you doing?” I whisper.

“I can’t go.” His Baby Groot face is swamped with worry.

“His secretary’s there!” I tell him.

“Well, use your charm.”

“Hey, come on, man. Don’t fail me now. She knows you, right?”

“Yeah, and that’s a bad thing!”

I flick him a you-ungrateful-bastard look. “You’ve got no choice. Make her walk away.”

Grant scrunches his nose and tightens his fists, as if that would make him disappear.

Hiding behind a wall, I watch Grant making his approach with calmness and confidence. I’m sure he does this every day to the ladies around here. His greeting makes Bright’s secretary giggle, and after delivering a couple of lines (I think he’s asking her to open a room or something), that son of a bitch gets her to walk away with him.

The winning feeling that I’m finally inside Joshua’s Bright office is soon taken over by doubt. Almost exclusively white, the minimalist room doesn’t look like a space that someone would use to hide something—because you would likely see what you’re hiding.

I pace around the room, and inevitably my attention is drawn to a photo on Josh’s desk. Before I even see who’s in it, I’m already thrown off balance.

It’s Carolyn Meyer, with a killer smile and eyes as alluring as Venus. Her complexion shines as her hair is tied back, revealing her whole face. And look at those pearls—they have never looked sexier on a woman. But is she trying to get away from Josh’s kiss there? One shoulder raised, creased lip corner, eyes wandering away from him, just a tad.

I take a deep breath, reminding myself why I’m here in the first place. She could be an enemy, so I’d better curb my derpy attraction to her.

Once again, the plainness of the room makes me wonder. Perhaps Bright wants to give the impression that he has nothing to hide. A director who’s visionary, transparent, and open. What if what I’m looking for is right under my nose?

Like a lousy detective, I knock on walls and stomp on the floor to find any sign of a cavity. I open Bright’s desk drawers. A few folders containing financial statements…and oh my!

The winning feeling in me returns, in a different way. The guy seems to be struggling to get it up! But I wonder why he keeps those Viagra strips in his office instead of at home? Does he fuck her here? Or is there another woman?

More disturbingly, at the back of the drawer I discover a set of brass knuckles, an army knife, and a gun. What is he using these for? Surely not just for show or practice.

---