walking
through the hotel lobby, about to catch a cab to take her to Port Authority, and
from there, a bus back to Boston.
She was so distracted thinking about the
way things had ended so suddenly and prematurely between her and Jake that she
didn’t even notice when a man started walking right next to her.
“Leaving us so soon?” he asked.
The voice was all too familiar and
dreaded. Raven turned and looked at
Kurt’s smug face.
She tried to sound polite. “I guess you must be happy with how it
all turned out.”
Kurt’s smile grew wider. “If you’d accepted my initial offer,
you’d have made a hundred thousand instead of just fifty, and your sex tape
wouldn’t be floating all over the web right now.”
“Fifty’s plenty and it’s more than I need
or even want.”
“It’s definitely more than you deserve,”
Kurt said.
“Just leave me alone—it’s
over.” Raven tried to keep walking
to get away from him, but he grabbed her arm with a vice-like grip.
“Look, you got off easy this time,” Kurt
whispered, his breath hitting her face. It smelled of old coffee and breakfast gone rancid. His smile was gone now. “If you try to weasel your way back into
Jake’s life, mommy seeing your sex tape will seem like fond memories compared
to what’ll happen to you.”
“Take your hand off me before I scream,”
she said through grit teeth.
Kurt’s smile appeared again, and he did
take his hand off her arm. “Disappear from Jake’s life for good this time, Raven. Stop fucking around—you got in way
over your head and you were very lucky to skate by with your fifty thousand
dollar payoff.”
“Kurt,” she said, “you’re kind of
handsome, but your breath stinks like a dead animal. It’s disgusting. Just like everything else about
you.” She made a face. “Please get away from me before I puke
on your expensive shoes.”
Kurt’s smile wavered and turned into a
grimace as he stepped back. “Stupid
bitch.”
Somehow, her comments had rankled him,
and that did make her smile.
“Bye, Kurt,” she waved, starting to leave
again. “Good luck getting your
halitosis under control.”
Raven continued towards the exit, but the
concierge stopped her. “Miss
Hartley?” the man asked stiffly.
“Yes, that’s me.” She looked at him uncertainly.
“Mister Novak asked that I make sure you
get to your car when you’re ready to depart. Are you leaving us now?”
“Well…yes, but I don’t have a car.” She shouldered her purse.
“Perhaps I was unclear.” The concierge referred to his clipboard. “A car has been arranged to take you to
Boston. Mister Novak has covered
all expenses and you’re to have the car and driver as long as is needed.”
“Oh.” Raven’s emotions were swirling around
inside of her now—a mixture of intense grief, longing, frustration and
even some anger. Why did it seem
like he still cared about her, and yet he was sending her away?
She still couldn’t make sense of their
connection.
On the one hand, he claimed to be angry
and disgusted by the way she’d withheld parts of her past, and then on the
other he wanted to pay her more than he owed her for the time they’d spent
together.
He claimed that she’d failed to do her
job, but insisted on paying her above and beyond the agreement and was even
sending her back home in an expensive car with a driver.
What did it all mean?
She couldn’t understand anything anymore.
Regardless, Raven allowed herself to be
led outside by the concierge and a couple members of Jake’s security team. They shielded her a little bit from the
paparazzi, but not as well as Jake usually did.
The photographers seemed extra
aggressive, as she walked outside and they started snapping and clicking and
bombarding her with questions.
“Did you really have sex with all those guys
at the party?”
“What do you think about the video of
through the hotel lobby, about to catch a cab to take her to Port Authority, and
from there, a bus back to Boston.
She was so distracted thinking about the
way things had ended so suddenly and prematurely between her and Jake that she
didn’t even notice when a man started walking right next to her.
“Leaving us so soon?” he asked.
The voice was all too familiar and
dreaded. Raven turned and looked at
Kurt’s smug face.
She tried to sound polite. “I guess you must be happy with how it
all turned out.”
Kurt’s smile grew wider. “If you’d accepted my initial offer,
you’d have made a hundred thousand instead of just fifty, and your sex tape
wouldn’t be floating all over the web right now.”
“Fifty’s plenty and it’s more than I need
or even want.”
“It’s definitely more than you deserve,”
Kurt said.
“Just leave me alone—it’s
over.” Raven tried to keep walking
to get away from him, but he grabbed her arm with a vice-like grip.
“Look, you got off easy this time,” Kurt
whispered, his breath hitting her face. It smelled of old coffee and breakfast gone rancid. His smile was gone now. “If you try to weasel your way back into
Jake’s life, mommy seeing your sex tape will seem like fond memories compared
to what’ll happen to you.”
“Take your hand off me before I scream,”
she said through grit teeth.
Kurt’s smile appeared again, and he did
take his hand off her arm. “Disappear from Jake’s life for good this time, Raven. Stop fucking around—you got in way
over your head and you were very lucky to skate by with your fifty thousand
dollar payoff.”
“Kurt,” she said, “you’re kind of
handsome, but your breath stinks like a dead animal. It’s disgusting. Just like everything else about
you.” She made a face. “Please get away from me before I puke
on your expensive shoes.”
Kurt’s smile wavered and turned into a
grimace as he stepped back. “Stupid
bitch.”
Somehow, her comments had rankled him,
and that did make her smile.
“Bye, Kurt,” she waved, starting to leave
again. “Good luck getting your
halitosis under control.”
Raven continued towards the exit, but the
concierge stopped her. “Miss
Hartley?” the man asked stiffly.
“Yes, that’s me.” She looked at him uncertainly.
“Mister Novak asked that I make sure you
get to your car when you’re ready to depart. Are you leaving us now?”
“Well…yes, but I don’t have a car.” She shouldered her purse.
“Perhaps I was unclear.” The concierge referred to his clipboard. “A car has been arranged to take you to
Boston. Mister Novak has covered
all expenses and you’re to have the car and driver as long as is needed.”
“Oh.” Raven’s emotions were swirling around
inside of her now—a mixture of intense grief, longing, frustration and
even some anger. Why did it seem
like he still cared about her, and yet he was sending her away?
She still couldn’t make sense of their
connection.
On the one hand, he claimed to be angry
and disgusted by the way she’d withheld parts of her past, and then on the
other he wanted to pay her more than he owed her for the time they’d spent
together.
He claimed that she’d failed to do her
job, but insisted on paying her above and beyond the agreement and was even
sending her back home in an expensive car with a driver.
What did it all mean?
She couldn’t understand anything anymore.
Regardless, Raven allowed herself to be
led outside by the concierge and a couple members of Jake’s security team. They shielded her a little bit from the
paparazzi, but not as well as Jake usually did.
The photographers seemed extra
aggressive, as she walked outside and they started snapping and clicking and
bombarding her with questions.
“Did you really have sex with all those guys
at the party?”
“What do you think about the video of