This story is dedicated to my brother. All events are fictional and all characters are over the age of eighteen.
Thank you to all the readers who haves supported this story. 2009 was a rough year for me and I am glad I can finally continue to bring this story to you. Thank you for sticking with me.
I want to give special thanks to my editor, honeywldcat.
It was a sign. She was meant to stay and fix things. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I can't allow you to board," she heard the ticket agent say and Sabrina merely nodded in response.
Sabrina sighed as she walked away. She must have left her passport back at the hotel. This meant she would have to face Matt again. Her heart broke all over again when she remembered seeing the love in his eyes as he proposed. But they were family. They couldn't be together. His mother, for one, would always make their lives miserable by informing anyone and everyone of their incestuous relationship. Michelle would ruin Matt's career. What about children? Birth defects? Sabrina couldn't risk it. But she could risk her own career and life to protect the man she loved. Instead of heading to the hotel to retrieve her passport, Sabrina caught a taxi and went back downtown.
* * *
John Anderson was extremely surprised when his receptionist, Marci, announced that Ms. McKenzie wanted to see him.
What was the girl up to?
Matt McKenzie had calmed John's anger and had promised to make everything right. Matt was also right that Ms. McKenzie would be delayed going back to Baltimore, especially since she was in John's office right now.
"Mr. Anderson, I'm glad you could see me." Sabrina strode forward determinedly with her hand outstretched, but inside she was shaking.
"What can I do for you, Ms. McKenzie?" John Anderson asked as he motioned for her to take a seat.
"The contract that you signed yesterday... I need it back."
Mr. Anderson's eyebrows arched high into his forehead.
Had Matt sent her to straighten this out?
"Back?"
"Yes, sir. I need to withdraw our offer to you. I am sorry for any inconvenience." Sabrina held her hands together tightly in her lap. Her fingers were laced together and her thumbs kept twitching.
John Anderson wasn't sure what kind of game was going on here, but he trusted Matt McKenzie. "Did Matt send you?"
Sabrina's face flushed hotly. "Oh no, sir. He doesn't know I am here. He believes I am on my way back to the States."
Well that's true.
John thought.
After the conversation with Matt this morning and Matt's intentions of catching up to Sabrina... Matt had her passport after all.
"I spoke with Matt this morning, Ms McKenzie." He saw a flicker of surprise in her eyes. "I can vouch that he does believe you are headed back to Baltimore right now. Which now poses the question, why aren't you?"
Sabrina shook inside. She had never been a true salesperson. Even now she still had trouble understanding why she had been promoted from her job as a video production person to sales within the advertising firm. She was a people pleaser, Jack Barkley had said, but right now Mr. Anderson did not look pleased at all. "I made a mistake, Mr. Anderson. My company obviously sent me here to try to steal you away from Matt McKenzie's company. I did not know this until you mentioned his name yesterday morning at our meeting. I made a decision then to continue pursuing you for my company as you seemed to like my advertising ideas." Mr. Anderson nodded. "That decision was wrong. Matt should have your account. He earned it."
"Ms. McKenzie, I am a businessman, plain and simple. I go with what works. Your ideas are simply better than Matt's."
"Oh but that's not true!" she cried out. "I presented ideas and plans to you that were from a team in our office in Baltimore. Months of planning. Matt could come up with something better on the spur of the moment. I'm sure of it."
John Anderson could not understand Sabrina's defense of Matt's character. He didn't doubt her one bit, but it was still strange to be backing out on a multi-million dollar advertising campaign. "I'm not sure of your game, Ms. McKenzie." Sabrina flushed again at his chastisement. "But I have worked with Matt for awhile now. I like his attitude, but I like YOUR ideas." John contemplated his next thoughts carefully. "You will tell Matt to come up with a campaign by week's end to rival yours or..." he trailed off intentionally for a dramatic effect. "Or I will deal with neither one of you."
Sabrina gasped out loud. She knew instinctively that this account was very important to Matt. "I don't know if I will see him again, Mr. Anderson. It was a fluke that we met on the plane here... coincidence that we are in the same business. I hardly know the man."
"Ms. McKenzie, I do believe that's the first lie you've told me." Sabrina flushed again. "You would not have defended his character just moments ago if you
'hardly know the man'
." Sabrina's face had never been this red this many times in just minutes. "Truth, Ms. McKenzie, please. What is your relationship to Matt McKenzie? It is odd that you both have the same last name."
"He is my brother's son," she said quietly.
The surprise on John Anderson's face was apparent. He thought back to this morning's conversation with Matt and how Matt had implied an intimate – a sexual – relationship with Ms. McKenzie.
By God, the man is fucking his aunt!
"Does Matt know who you are?"
Sabrina nodded knowing that somehow Mr. Anderson had guessed the passion that flared between Matt and Sabrina. "His father, my brother... died eighteen years ago. I had never met my nephew until we were on the plane. Matt's mother broke off all ties with our family when Steven died. But Matt and I didn't realize the connection right away... the family connection."
"Well, well, well, Ms. McKenzie." John Anderson leaned back in his chair and smiled. "Quite a small world then isn't it?" She nodded slightly. He was silent for a few minutes and then said, "My offer stands. Matt will present to me again by week's end... and I will not be telling him, you will. I'm sure you will want to keep in touch with your brother's family now that you have found them again."
Sabrina's eyes showed trepidation and John was positive now about the sexual relationship Matt had implied.
"Don't worry, Ms. McKenzie. It is a small world indeed. My first cousin and I have been very happily married for twenty-eight years... with three children and five grandchildren I might add," he said with a wink.
* * *
The flight to Honolulu was terribly long. Matt was anxious. Part of him wanted to wring Sabrina's neck for undermining him with John Anderson. Another part of him wanted to kiss that same sweet neck until she melted into his arms again. The more he contemplated both actions, the more he wanted to do the latter. John Anderson's account didn't matter nearly as much to him as Sabrina did. His career? Meh. There would be other accounts. But there was only one woman for him. He just had to convince her.
He got off the plane and went straight to the TSA offices. He knew that's where any questionable passengers would be held. He knew this because his mother, gossip and nosy woman that she was, had worked for TSA since its foundation shortly after 9-11. She had told him many stories of people she had detained and questioned about their activity into the US.
"Good afternoon, Rose," he said as he greeted the desk clerk.
"Matt McKenzie!" The middle-aged woman exclaimed. "It's been forever since you've come to see us, but of course your mom always tells us all about your exciting life in New York."
Matt smiled at her. It had been a long time since he'd stopped in to visit his mother, but this time he wasn't here to see her. He calmly took out Sabrina's passport from his pants pocket and held it out to Rose. "Are you holding this woman? I'm afraid she left her passport in Sydney."
Rose looked at the photo and shook her head. Matt was certain they wouldn't have let her back into the States without her passport. As he began to ask where she might be, he heard his mother's voice.
"She's not here, Matthew. She's still in Sydney gloating over stealing that account from you." Michelle McKenzie visibly shuddered. "Vile woman!"
* * *
Sabrina had no idea how to get a hold of Matt, but knew that his career depended up on her finding him. Her assistant, Debbie, might know of a starting place. Sabrina headed back to the hotel and checked with the front desk to see if anyone had turned in her passport. No one had which meant Debbie would also be getting documents together to get Sabrina back into the States.
Sabrina dragged her suitcase into her hotel room and sat down wearily. This trip had been so emotionally exhausting. But it also had been emotionally exhilarating as she glanced at the bed and remembered how Matt had delicately undressed her... how he had touched her body and made her feel so alive. She pushed the erotic thought to the back of her head and began to place the overseas call. It was late evening in Baltimore, but Sabrina had Debbie's home phone number. The sooner Debbie could get started on sorting out this fiasco the better.
"Hello?" The line was full of static in Sabrina's ear.
"Debbie? It's Bree. I didn't wake you did I?"
"No. No. Just watching 'Law and Order'. Where are you? You sound halfway around the world."
"I still am," Sabrina sighed.
"What?!" You're supposed to be in Honolulu about to board a flight for LA in a bit. What happened?"
Sabrina patiently explained her lost passport and Debbie agreed to do whatever she could to get her out of Australia as soon as possible.
"One more thing, Debbie. I need you to find someone for me. He's in the advertising business like us and his name is Matthew McKenzie...."
"Oh yeah!" Debbie exclaimed before Sabrina could say he was from a firm in New York City. "He's a big wig at Baker, Barkley and Bradfield in Manhattan. Rumor had it he was going to be promoted to the Baltimore office if he got the Anderson account, which by the way he didn't I hear. Congrats!" Debbie was so bubbly and full of energy, at times Sabrina felt tired just being around her. "And ya know I never realized you and he have the same last name until now. Weird, huh?"
Sabrina mumbled something but her mind was racing with questions. Matt promoted to Baltimore? Her heart raced a little. How did Debbie know John Anderson had signed with Sabrina and not Matt? Bree hadn't told anyone yeah or nay about the account, except Matt and then they'd celebrated but he hadn't known which account. Sabrina suddenly felt very uneasy. Someone had been watching her and if they were, then they knew about Matt and their affair. That someone might even know that Sabrina and Matt were related. Sabrina shuddered with a chill she felt to her bones and got up to close the draperies on her hotel window.
* * *