2 Big Apple Hunter, page 6
“I sure am,” he said brightly. He grabbed the microphone from the wall and spoke into it. “Good afternoon, lady,” he nodded to me, “and gentlemen. Welcome to New York City’s finest Pub Crawl Tour. We have four hours of sight-seeing and pubbing ahead of us, and we’ll be at our first stop in three minutes.” The guys exploded into cheers and applause.
A pub crawl? What was that?
Derek sat down in his seat. I looked at him with confusion and asked, “Who are these guys, and why aren’t there any girls on the bus?”
He laughed again and said, “These are 25 of my best friends. We’re all enrolled in a culinary school upstate. I come into the city every weekend to give bus tours and make some extra money, so I talked all of these guys into coming in for my tour today.”
Culinary school. Darby would never believe this. “You’re kidding,” I said. “Why in the world did you grab me when you guys already had your day planned?”
“The bigger question is . . . ,” he leaned closer to me and asked, “why in the world is a beautiful girl hanging around tour busses and looking lost?”
I laughed. He was sweet, and his smiling eyes assured me he posed no threat. “I’m in the city for the weekend with a friend who’s in meetings. I’ve only been here once before, and I didn’t get to see much of the city then, so I thought squeezing in a bus tour would let me see more of it this time.”
He nodded his head. “Well, the vote was 26-0 to grab you off the street and steal you away with us. I hope you have fun. This is a great bunch of guys.” He stood up, grabbed the microphone again and faced everyone, “Here we are fellas. Stop number one.”
We were already pulling up to our first stop – a bar! The guys cheered again.
We unloaded onto the sidewalk, and Derek addressed everyone, “Ok, listen up. This is Susan Hunter. Susan, this is James, Stephen, Carlos, Sage, George … ” He rattled off all of the names of the guys. I knew I would have a hard time remembering even just a few of them. They all tried to push each other aside to come up to me and say hello. Some of them shook my hand, and one of them bowed. We were all laughing and quite loud when we walked into the pub. Oh! Now I get it. We were going to be drinking on this tour - pubbing. I ordered a glass of Chardonnay.
Three hours later, we had been to Wall Street, the Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown, another pub, and Central Park. We took horse and buggy rides through Central Park. It was absolutely beautiful, but somewhat hectic. The guys acted terribly by jumping in and out of buggies and making whoever was sitting with me at the moment get out and trade. Every time a driver slowed down or stopped, it was like a fire drill. I couldn’t believe the drivers put up with us, but Derek assured me they were all tipped very well.
The buggy rides netted me eight phone numbers and three recipes. So far, I had enjoyed this part of the tour the most. I loved being outdoors with the fall colors of the park, the gorgeous horses, their clip-clopping hooves - and being treated like a queen wasn’t too bad either.
There was one unsettling moment in the park. I could have sworn I saw the man with the Indiana Jones hat sitting on a park bench, but as we came nearer, he held his newspaper high, and I had no way of knowing for sure.
We were now disembarking from the bus again to go into Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. I didn’t know if it was such a good idea for 27 tipsy people to be going into a church. I hadn’t had anything to eat since a quick room-service breakfast with Darby, and I was starting to feel the effects of lack of food and a little too much wine.
The architecture of the church was amazing. I passed the cathedral on my way to Saks earlier in the day, but didn’t have time to stop and take a good look at it then. Derek proceeded to tell us it was “. . . the largest decorated Neo-Gothic-style Catholic cathedral in North America.”
The interior was darker than I expected. When my eyes adjusted, I looked around at the high ceilings, the amazing architecture, and the beautiful stained glass windows. It was as though we had all been transported back in time. Someone was playing the organ.
I slipped into a pew at the back of the church. It seemed appropriate to say a prayer while sitting in the majestic structure. I simply prayed for God’s will to be done in my life. That was another of hippie Aunt Charlotte’s pearls of wisdom, “God is not a vending machine,” she used to say. “Don’t be asking for things you want, just ask for His will to be done in your life, and you’ll fare much better.”
Derek slipped in beside me. “Do you like it?” he asked. “I never get tired of coming here. It seems so removed from the hustle and bustle of the city.”
“It’s really beautiful,” I said as I looked around admiring my surroundings. I suddenly stiffened. On the far side of the church, a few pews ahead of us, sat the man with an Indiana Jones hat. Was he following me? What if he was a pervert?
Derek noticed the change in my demeanor. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
I pointed to the man in the pew, and whispered. “I think he’s following me. I saw him this morning when I was in a café, and maybe again in the park, and now here he is yet again. It might be nothing, but what if he’s a pervert and stalking me?”
Derek saw the man, frowned, and said, “I’ll see what I kind find out.” His frown turned to a smile as he said to me, “It’s time to round up the guys and go. We have one more stop.”
Most of the guys from our group walked out with me. We stood on the sidewalk chatting while waiting for Derek. Five minutes later, he and the rest of the guys came through the doors and broke into a run down the stairs. Derek was motioning for all of us to hurry to the bus.
Once again on the bus, the driver pulled out for the next stop, and all of the guys cheered. Derek was laughing.
I looked at him skeptically and asked, “What happened back there?”
“The pervert has been locked in a confessional,” he said with a big smile on his face. “Don’t ask any questions, but he won’t be able to follow you from here.” I know my eyes went wide, and I let my mouth hang open for a second. I didn’t quite know what to make of what he had just done, but I’m pretty sure I was grateful.
Our last stop on the tour was the final pub. Derek dutifully gave us the history of the bar. The guys drank more beer, and I drank more wine. At least we had the good sense to order some snacks.
When it was time to board the bus again, I deferred. The hotel was literally two blocks away, and it was already after 6:00. I didn’t want to be late getting back to the room. I turned to Derek and said, “It’s only a short walk to my hotel, so I’m going to leave you now. Thank you for kidnapping me and showing me such a good time. I had fun, and I’ll never forget you and your friends.”
He made my departure announcement to the group, and I was overrun with kisses on the cheeks, good-byes, handshakes, more stolen kisses, five more phone numbers, and six more recipes. Derek handed his number to me last. “Susan, if you’re ever in New York City again, look me up. I’ll show you the entire city and a lot more.” He planted a kiss squarely on my mouth, pulled back, and gave me a huge grin. The guys cheered.
My confidence was at an all-time high as I walked back to the hotel. Derek and his buddies had been a blast. I had never had so much attention from so many great guys at one time. If I weren’t so in love with Mick, I would definitely want to use some of these phone numbers.
I stopped at the concierge desk and waited while my shopping bags were retrieved. I took the elevator to the 16th floor and was greeted by a butler who offered to carry my bags. I declined and hurried to our room.
It was 6:25. It was close, but I wasn’t late. I let myself into the suite and walked into the living room. I noticed right away something was off. Furniture was slightly moved, and a desk drawer was open. I walked into the bedroom and saw Darby standing by the bed. He was looking around the room and appeared confused. Our clothing was strewn across the bed and about the floor.
Darby looked at me, shook his head, and said, “Our room’s been ransacked.”
“No!” I said in disbelief. “Why would someone want to go through our things?” I was shocked to see my bras and panties flung to one corner of the room.
He looked at my shopping bags and then back at me as if trying to make some type of assessment. “Were you in the room at all during the day?” he asked me.
“No,” I said shaking my head. “I went shopping and then took a bus tour of the city. I stopped here at the hotel for two minutes, but didn’t have time to come to the room. I left my bags with the concierge until just now.”
“Help me look around,” he said. “Let’s see if anything’s missing.”
I set my bags down and started picking up my clothes and folding them. I checked the dresser for any remaining items and then checked the bathroom and the powder room. “I’m not missing anything,” I told him walking back into the bedroom. “Are you?”
“Nope. Not a thing,” he said. He finished folding his clothes and putting them away. “I’ll talk to the hotel manager later and ask if they’ve had any problems with rogue staff. It does appear to be a maid or hotel worker who tried to quickly work the room for valuables.” He sat down on the bed, smiled at me, and asked. “Did you have a good day today? Were you afraid?” He was smiling now.
“I wasn’t afraid, and I had a fantastic day. Look what I bought at Saks!” I was excited as I opened my bags to show him my new suit and jacket. I didn’t want him to see the cashmere outfit until I put it on for the evening.
“I love this jacket,” he said with approval. He picked it up and studied the cut. “Even I’d look good in this.” He held it up over his chest and looked in the mirror with a big smile on his face.
“Oh, stop it!” I laughed at him. The winter white did look wonderful against his tan skin.
He put the jacket back on the bed and picked up the suit. “You can never go wrong with a classic black suit, and this one is perfect,” he said. “This will look awesome on you with your blonde hair.”
I looked at my watch again. “What time do I have to be ready?” I asked him.
“Bernardo said they would send a car for us at 7:30. Can you make it in time?” he asked.
“Yep. Give me shower time first?” I asked as I started moving toward the bathroom.
“Go ahead,” he said. “I want to look over a couple of notes from today while they’re still fresh in my mind.”
I took a quick shower and emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a comfy hotel guest robe. “Your turn,” I told Darby as I rushed over to the powder room to start blow drying my hair. When my hair was done, I went back to the bedroom to gather clothing and my purse. Darby was in the shower. I padded back over to the powder room to do my evening makeup and get dressed.
I hadn’t had time to tell Darby about my lost jewelry or my bus trip, but would do so over dinner later. I assumed we’d be having a late dinner, and I was going to be wearing some serious cranky pants if we didn’t. A little breakfast, too much wine, and a few snacks weren’t going to get me through until breakfast tomorrow.
The cashmere deserved the best, so I put on my sexiest lace underwear. The effect of the push up bra under the sweater would be fabulous, and the lace panties wouldn’t leave any lines on the skirt. Black open-toed dress shoes with 5-inch heels and an ankle strap went on next. I stood in front of the mirror in great underwear and heels. Racquetball is fabulous for toning, and I liked what was looking back at me in the mirror. I had worked hard to get this body.
“You can’t go to the theater like that,” Darby said as he peeked around the corner.
I threw my brush at him. “Get out! I’ll be ready in a few minutes,” I said laughing.
I slipped on the cashmere sweater and skirt. Oh my gosh! This felt sooo good. I couldn’t even stop my own hands from running over my hips and up and down my arms. This was a killer outfit.
I wished I had one of the new necklaces to wear, preferably the morganite. It would have been beautiful and feminine against the gray. Ooh, the jade piece! I still had it in my purse. I pulled it out and put it on. The silk cord was beautiful and the black jade was striking against the light gray cashmere. The bottom of the jade dipped to the top of my cleavage creating an enticing impression on the sweater. I felt like a million bucks.
I walked into the living room. Darby looked me up and down and wolf-whistled. “Wow, Susan,” he said, his eyes shining, “that’s sexier than the underwear and heels.” Only in Darby’s world, I thought.
“It is pretty great, isn’t it?” I asked him with a big smile on my face. “Come here, you have to feel this.”
He came over and rubbed my arms. “Hmmm.” He let out the satisfied sound and then rubbed his check on my shoulder. “I don’t think I should let you out of the hotel in this. I might lose you forever.”
I lightly punched him on the arm and laughed. It was then I noticed he was dressed in casual clothes. “Why aren’t you ready?” I asked trying to hold back a frown.
He seemed tired and said, “About that. Armand is the brains behind the business and the financial aspects of the store. I’m working closest with him. Bernardo works more on the acquisition and inventory of the merchandise. Armand sent a text a few minutes ago and wants me to bypass the theater and meet him for dinner so we can go over some more ideas. This will be our only face-to-face for several months, so he wants to cover as much ground as possible.”
“Am I coming with you?” I asked. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do without Darby for the evening.
“Armand said to send you off to the theater when the car comes,” he said. He handed the two tickets to me that he had been given earlier in the day. “Here you go. One for you, and one to scalp.” I couldn’t help myself, and I gave in to a little frown. “I’m kidding,” he laughed. “Do whatever you want with the extra ticket, but if you give it to a homeless guy on the street, just remember he’ll be sitting next to you all evening.” He laughed again at his own wit. “Bernardo will be attending the performance with a guest, so you won’t be alone, and he’ll be sure you get to the car to come back to the hotel afterward. You’ll be in good hands.”
I put the tickets in my purse. I was disappointed we wouldn’t be sharing the evening together. I was nervous to be out in the city by myself at night. What if Bernardo didn’t show?
We walked out of the hotel together. The Lincoln Town Car was waiting, and the driver opened the door for me. The doorman flashed a big smile and tipped his hat to me as he hailed a cab for Darby.
I slipped into the car, and I was off for Broadway – by myself!
Chapter Seven
The driver dropped me in front of the theater. New York at night was amazing, and I had an excited anticipation for the evening. I stood on the sidewalk and looked around. There were plenty of tourists on the streets. People going into the theater were dressed from casual to quite overdressed. Most had dressed for a nice evening out, with men in suits and women in dressy attire.
I stepped into the box-office lobby. It was busy with people trying to buy last-minute tickets or picking up pre-purchased tickets at the Will Call window. I moved into the shortest line. When it was my turn, I slipped my extra ticket under the glass and said to the clerk, “My friend couldn’t make it tonight, so I have an extra ticket. You might want to sell it again.”
The clerk slipped an envelope out to me and said, “Write your name on the envelope. If we sell the ticket, we’ll put the money in it, and you can pick it up tomorrow.”
“Really?” I asked. I was surprised. I didn’t expect the theater to scalp the ticket for me.
“Sure,” the clerk responded. “You paid for the ticket, and we already have our money, so you can get your money back if someone else buys it.”
I put my name on the envelope and slid it back to him. “Thank you,” I told him and turned back to the lobby. I stepped to the side and looked around.
One of the men I had seen in the office of the jewelry store was standing on the opposite side of the lobby. I assumed it was Bernardo. He was talking with two people, but I could only see one of them clearly through the crowd. The man was tall with Italian features like Bernardo, and was wearing the same type of dark, double-breasted suit. They both looked as though they had just stepped out of a movie and had been playing gangster roles. They seemed out of place with the more festive theater goers. I almost laughed out loud.
As I made my way across the lobby, I stopped short. The second man Bernardo was talking with was the man with the Indiana Jones hat. I made him out to be a pervert earlier today, and I had forgotten I originally saw him in the office at the jewelry store. Uh-oh. Derek locked him in a confessional at St. Patrick’s. Would he connect me to the stunt? I lost sight of the men for a few seconds as people moved past me and into the theater. When I saw them again, Indiana Jones was gone. I moved closer and overheard snippets of the intense conversation. “Shipment … Singapore … bitch … river.” I stood directly behind the two men, and heard Bernardo say, “Armand doesn’t know.”
Two men, also dressed in double-breasted suits and looking like old-school thugs, moved from the shadows toward Bernardo and the other man. Bernardo put his hand out toward them as if to stop them and whirled around to face me. He looked me up and down and said, “You must be Susan. How long have you been waiting?” He had a smile on his face, but his tone was less than friendly.
“Hi, yes, Susan Hunter,” I said almost stammering, and I was definitely uncomfortable. I was sure they knew I had been eavesdropping. “I just got here,” I said.
The thugs retreated into the shadows. Bernardo didn’t introduce me to the other man who was now staring at my chest. I wanted to say, “Hey, Buddy, eyes up here,” but I kept my mouth shut and let him stare. Something was wrong, and I didn’t want to cause any more tension than was already in the air.
Bernardo grabbed my elbow firmly and started to propel me toward the doors and into the auditorium. The man with him started to say something, but Bernardo silenced him by putting his hand up and uttering one word under his breath, “Intermission.”
