Calliope stretched and let her hand trace the tapered glass of her wonderful shower as the water fell on her. Her bathroom overlooked the Atlantic ocean from her Coconut Grove condo and with every water drop on her head, she felt her muscles were at least able to move. Finished, she stepped out.
Now she had a new lease on life. Calliope needed to get her life in order and it would start with her bank account. Michael and Brandon had both mentioned finances as the starting point. It was easy enough to open letters that were on her desk. She towel-dried her hair, dressed and went to start this whole new life, alone.
The letter opener was a brass antique and reminded her of her grandmother as she sliced open the page.
The wedding was all out of this one account, and she should know exactly how much she paid to let people see that farce. She swayed on her feet as sh read. The two hundred thousand dollar cash withdrawal two days ago made her face feel like it drained of all its blood while her fingers tingled from the papers. Chris had taken her money without mentioning it. He still had access.
She had to go online and check her balance in her checking account. She logged in and then realized she could no longer wait. Money was gone and she hadn't done it. Even if she pressed charges, she had given him access so the police would tell her to get lost. She had to get his name off everything.
She picked up her phone, unsure what to do to get his name off her accounts, and called Brandon. Her brother didn't answer.
Michael would know how to stop this. Chris had no right to continue taking money from her. The thought made her stop for a moment. Then she dialed Michael’s number. Two rings later, he said, "Hello?"
His voice alone rushed through her and she felt safe and protected. Yesterday and her 'I love you' stuff didn't matter. She clutched the phone and stared at her grandfather clock. "Where are you?"
"Home." The pendulum swung back and forth as he said, "I made it here a few hours after you did."
So he knew when she came home. She swallowed. "Can I meet you somewhere? I need your help."
"With what?"
Good. His voice told her that he was still there for her. She sat in her chair and closed her eyes "Chris has access to my accounts still and I want to get his name off my papers."
"So you want me to take you to the bank?"
The firm tone of his voice made her open her eyes and widen them as she stared out the window. "Yes. I've never gone there, but ten thousand dollars was withdrawn this morning."
"Give me ten minutes." Then he hung up the phone. She sipped her tea and knew he'd be here for her for whatever came next. Part of her wanted to kick the wall and think about Chris, but then her thoughts returned to how Michael had kissed her and she calmed. Then she stood and checked her hair, put on her lipstick, and found her shoes. Then she glanced at her phone and realized the phone call was fifteen minutes ago.
She massaged her neck as she thought about seeing Michael. Then her doorman called. She grabbed a shawl, locked her door, and took the elevator downstairs to meet him. As she breezed past her doorman, her gaze landed on Michael's black Tesla and him leaning against the door. Their gazes met, and she felt instantly protected again. Inside she felt like she melted and it wasn’t because of the sun. She lowered her head to protect herself as she went to stand in front of him. "You’re late."
"I was on the phone with Peter Morgan." He opened the passenger door of his Tesla for her, and she slipped inside. A second later, he closed her door, ran around the car and joined her on the driver's side. "We put a hold on your accounts and now I'm bringing you in to meet with one of his accountants."
He started the car. She turned toward him and stared at his handsome profile. Yesterday his muscular shoulder had held her close and today, she wanted him to put his arms around her again. She reached up to play with her pendant, but realized it wasn’t there as she said, "Thanks. I was panicked when I saw that money was gone."
He turned the car and she jerked in her seat and almost fell on him as the tires squealed. "Chris will knock on your door again if you cut him off like this."
As the ocean was behind them and the bridge allowed them to go faster, she nodded. "I'll have to be like you then and enjoy seeing his face when he sees I'm not his unending bank account."
The curve of his lips ticked upward. "Why did you call me?"
Again her body wished he held her hand. She dropped her hands to her side and tried to remind herself friends with benefits wasn’t for her. She swallowed and said, "I trust you."
"Yesterday you made me think you didn't want me in your life."
No. The opposite was true. Adrenaline mixed with whatever had calmed her now. She needed to relax, and she hugged her waist and stared at the road toward the bank. She then chose her words "Don't be silly. It was about me, not you."
"You left my bed."
Now she glanced at him and his face was tinged red and she wondered if he was embarrassed. Her body warmed just thinking about what they had done last night, but she curled her hands together. "It wasn't your bed. It was a hotel."
"Technicality." He turned into the bank parking lot. Her head whipped from the ninety degree turn as he said, "You left me."
"I would never. Well okay I did, but that was Mexico. Sex confuses me, but I’ll always be your friend." As he parked the car and turned off the engine, she caught her breath. "Would you leave me when I need you?"
"I'm here, as always."
"Because you're my rock." Technically he had always been with everyone else, though she had Chris. For her, now, this was her first moments without Chris. She opened her car door and hopped out.
"We're here." He called out as he stood in the parking lot. He then placed his hand on the small of her back to lead her inside. "Let's get Chris off your accounts and out of your heart."
You, not him, are in my heart. She bit back the response. It made no sense. If she had replaced Michael with Chris as someone who might love her, then she might have been happy? No. There had to be something wrong with her thinking. She hugged her waist as they stepped into the cold blast of air conditioning. Michael still had his hand on the small of her back which made her tingle and made her feel he protected her, but he had no clue how she felt. He led her past a roped line of people and toward an office. He then knocked and led her inside.
A secretary waved them to sit and a banker brought forth papers. "Ms. Campbell, please read everything to ensure this is what you want."
Time to be a big girl. She picked up the pen and glanced at the papers. "Can I ask what you were told?"
The banker answered, "That you wanted to ensure Christopher Sommers no longer had access to your accounts."
"Yes." She clicked the end of the pen as she read the papers. "That's what I want. Where do I sign?"
He reached over and pointed to the spots that had an X mark already. "Here. And here."
She signed in all the places and handed the papers back. "I'm the only signatory on my account now?”
“Yes.” The banker took the papers and then typed into his computer. "Do you want to change your beneficiary?"
She was about to stand but scooted her chair back instead. "Who is that?"
"Brandon Campbell."
She waved her hands in front of her. "Keep my brother. That's fine."
A knock on the door behind her caused her to crane her neck as a nice-looking dark haired man nodded at Michael. "Is everything all right in here?"
Michael stood and his handsomeness just radiated through his skin and made her buzz "Calliope is signing the papers now. Thanks for setting this up so fast, Peter."
Peter. He must be Peter Morgan. Chris had always avoided any Morgan parties they were invited to as he claimed the family had too much drama. Calliope stood and waited next to Michael. Michael and Peter shared a joke concerning his working for Morgan Enterprises as he made them more money these days. She wrapped her arm in his and waited. Then Peter said, "It's a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Campbell. Michael, if you and Calliope would like to come to my wife's veteran's benefit gala tonight, please let my secretary know."
Her lips parted as Michael patted her hand and said, "I will let her know."
A gala as Michael's date might be fun, if he no longer expected friends with benefits. If he wanted, she’d be open to dating him, and she’d see one of the Morgan parties. She pinched her elbow to stay grounded. As the door closed and the banker left, she picked up her pocketbook and said to Michael, "So that was Peter Morgan?"
He opened the door for her and waited for her to pass. "He's nothing like his father either."
She winked at him as she passed and then waited for him to follow as she said, "Sounds like you both have more in common than you realize."
As they made their way through the bank, neither of them said anything. Once they made it to his car, he stopped in front of the passenger seat and turned toward her. "Calliope, tonight will you go to the benefit with me?"
The sun beating on her head stopped mattering. Her heart sped up as she imagined being held in Michael's arm, all dressed up in her finest. Her lips parted as she met his gaze. "As your date and not a friend?"
"Yes."
He hadn't blinked. This time, she'd not ditch their date and make another stupid decision. She reached out and brushed her hand against his. The sparks she felt in her fingers told her everything she needed to know as she said, "Good. I'll look forward to tonight then."
He let go of her touch and opened her door. As he waved her inside he said, "Then I'll drop you off and pick you up at eight."
As the door closed and he ran around to join her, she realized her hands shook her pocketbook. She put it on the floor and waited. Michael was good to her and tonight was good. This was the start of her new life.