Tiptoe Kisses

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

If you need something from somebody always give that person a way to hand it to you.    ~Sue Monk Kidd 

Taylor looks around at her surroundings for familiar faces and her bodyguards.  After getting their coffee, Nathan follows her to a table and she chooses to sit in an open area of the lobby so they can be easily seen.

She can’t concentrate on what he’s saying she keeps looking at the lobby entrance hoping to see the face of the man she should have been on a plane with right now.      

They’ve been sitting here for almost an hour and a look of melancholy exudes her face, she never thought she would need rescuing from Nathan.  She fell in love with him after six months of dating and though he was the one.  She assumed they would marry, have children and eventually merge their business together, but the pain of how wrong she was about him nags at her.   

“If you relax maybe they will relax.  I’m enjoying our coffee together.  How about we turn it into a real date and leave here for some dinner?  I can have you in bed before midnight?”  Nathan winks at her taking a sip of his coffee.

Taylor stares into his hazel eyes trying to find any semblance of the man she once loved but it’s not possible.  She can see a few strands of grey at his temples despite him being only thirty-two.  There are lines underneath his eyes indicating he’s not sleeping.  He doesn’t seem to be as relaxed as he wants her to believe.  He keeps peering around him and his security detail constantly protects his back.

“I’m not coming back to you, Nathan.”  She was thinking it and surprised herself that she said it out loud.

Not expecting her to say that, he lets out a heavy sigh then shakes his head.  Taylor waits for the anger she expects to come followed by some sort of scene.

“Did you ever really love me Taylor?”  He surprises her with his question.  Thinking she is actually witnessing a look of regret mar his handsome face, she has to control her trusting nature to believe he feels anything for her.

“I think that’s something I should be asking you under the circumstances.”  She responds.

“So you know…..Donati finally got the nerve to show you the shoes.”  He says unapologetically.

“Yes, I’ve seen them, why….why did you do this to me.”  

“I didn’t mean for it to go so far but you were so conveniently unaware.  I needed a way to get my shipments to my buyers.  I thought once we started discussing marriage you would cut back on your work scheduled but instead, you were bringing more work home.  Whenever I came over, you were either working from home or working on your shoe designs?  You brought home a lot of invoices and delivery orders.”

“What does that have to do with anything I don’t understand?”  Taylor looks at him confused.

“You never did baby…..that’s why everything was so easy with you.”  He tells her and the scowled look she gives him makes him sad about the loss of their relationship.    Her trusting nature was always great for his ego.  He found after he had her trust, he could convince her of so many things.

“Taylor, you trusted me with your house, your keys, you’re step-father’s business secrets, everything in your life.”  It was simple, all I had to do was figure out what was being shipped where and with your help it was easy to get a routine.  While you cooked dinner most nights I went through the work you brought home and took what I needed and handed it off to my guys when I took the trash out after dinner.   We set up a system.  I left the information for them attached to your trashcan.  By the next morning they would have the drugs packed in the shoe shipments.   The money got too good to give up.  But somebody we both know found out and now I need you to do something for me.”