Chapter 9
Blair Daimler Cramler was mad and more than a little fed up with the little concierge that refused to give her a key to Todd's suite. HER daughter was living there, she had every right to gain entrance to that room. It wasn't as though she was trying to see HIM! But the short French concierge that Carly employed held his ground. She knew the suite number from the times she had phoned Starr so ignoring the little Frenchman, she started for the elevators. She would simply knock on Todd's door and let the chips fall where they may. This startled Henri and he hurriedly followed the tall slim woman entering the elevator just as the doors closed. As the elevator ascended, Henri again tried reasoning with Mr. Manning's ex wife, he being one of the employees that worked closest to Mrs. Jacks knew that she and Mr. Manning had begun an affair. Henri did not wish for her to be embarrassed in any way, he genuinely cared for her and all of the employees of the Metro Court were well aware of her recent loss.
"Please, allow me to try phoning the suite." Henri suggested as the elevator reached the desired floor.
The ex Mrs. Manning had not wanted anyone to phone the suite earlier and had in fact insisted no one call her ex husband's suite. She made it clear that she was here to see her daughter, not her ex husband. Henri had met Mr. Manning's other ex wife, Tea and so far, he far preferred her to this pushy lanky provincial blonde.
Blair stalked to the door and raising her fist to knock was stopped by Henri.
"Allow me, Madam." Henri delicately rapped upon the door aware of the hour and the occupants in the neighboring suites.
The two waited for a moment, Blair had lost all restraint at this point, she pulled out her cell phone and started looking for the saved contact information of Carly Jacks.
"I am going to call my friend Carly Jacks, she owns this hotel." Blair continued not noticing the shocked look on Henri's face,
"She will give you permission to allow me access to my child's room."
Before Blair could dial Mrs. Jacks' cell phone number at five a.m., Henri made a fateful decision, he slipped the universal key into the door and swung the door open.
"I'm afraid I am going to have to stay with you until Ms. Manning or Mr. Manning give me permission to leave."
Blair and Henri stepped fully into the beautifully appointed suite, Blair again marveled at Carly's exquisite taste, and Blair turned on him.
"Do you have any idea who I am?" Her voice rising, revealing her southern accent with every syllable,
"I am Blair Cramer, my Aunt is Senator Dorian Lord Buchanan, do you really think I need to steal some hotel towels or drink all the booze out of my ex husband's minibar?"
"No, of course not," Henri noticed his voice rising and reflecting his French accent with every word,
"It is simply against the rules and I want to limit the hotel's liablity."
"LIABILITY!" Blair screeched in her most southern of accents.
Something stopped her cold, an Yves Saint-Laurent black wool jacket thrown carelessly across the end table, a pair of Louboutins carelessly kicked aside, one standing up one laying on its side. These were not the clothes of a girl Starr's age. These were a trail of passion. It hit her then, like twenty freight trains at once, Todd had a lover. Blair could still hear Henri babbling behind her, but his voice was getting quieter and quieter, then she heard nothing as Todd emerged from his bedroom with Carly.
One look told Blair all she needed to know, Todd hadn't looked that good since before the abduction eight years before. He looked refreshed, rested, lighter, could it be, happy? Carly was wearing the black sheath dress that watched the jacket that had been carelessly tossed aside the night before and was barefoot. Her hair truly gave away the night's activities. Her thick blonde hair, usually immaculately styled was beyond rumbled. Carly had tried taming it by hurriedly twisting it atop her head when they first heard the commotion. Tendrils fell across her face, Todd's last thoughts before seeing his angry ex wife were that she had never been more beautiful.
"What is going on here!" Blair shrieked,
"You let a woman spend the night with you while our daughter is living with you."
"What!?" Todd was incredulous.
"How many husband's and lovers did you have while Starr lived with you and let us not forget my twin brother whom you married twice." Todd continued as his temper rose,
"So Blair save us all the righteous indignation."
Then Todd turned his attention to the horrified concierge,
"And you, you what's you're name again? Henry? You just let her into my room in the middle of the night?"
Todd and Blair had fallen into the old pattern, arguing, talking over each other as only family or long time spouses can.
Ignoring Todd Manning and ex wife Henri turned to Carly,
"Mrs. Jacks, she was going to call and wake you, she insisted her daughter lives here, so I thought it prudent to let her in instead of waking the other guests." Henri, quick to point out Blair's attempts at pounding on the door in the early morning hours to his red faced employer.
Carly was starting to recover from the shock of seeing Blair just an hour after making love with Todd. She hated that she felt tawdry, like they had been caught in a hotel room by the wife. Which was ridiculous, Todd and Blair had been divorced for almost ten years, but the jealousy nagged at her.
"Henri, it's alright. This is an unusual situation. Thank you."
Henri took his leave as an uncomfortable silence overtook the room. Carly, wanted to leave, she hated the feelings seeing Blair and Todd together brought up. She spotted her shoes and sat on Todd's sturdy coffee table to put them back on. She remembered her stockings were still in his bedroom and at the memory of Todd's reaction to them the previous evening, her belly stirred.
Todd watched the beautiful blonde slipping on her shoes and the jacket that matched the dress. Blair felt sick as she watched Todd watch Carly with lust but also pride. This wasn't just sex. Blair was certain of that, she had seen and knew his every look and gesture, but she had never seen him look at her like that with, what was it pride? He was proud that Carly was his. Maybe the old Todd wasn't capable of those feelings, maybe those eight years had truly altered his psyche? Maybe he was now capable of a range of feelings he hadn't been before?
Carly stood on nervous, unsteady legs,
"I need to get home, I need to speak to Michael about AJ's resurrection."
Todd walked to her, and ignoring Blair, kissed her soundly on the mouth, as he pulled away he murmured low enough so only she could hear his words,
"That promise you made to Michael, after last night that's over,I will deal with him if I have to, but this is not over."
Blair cleared her throat,
"Michael is the reason I'm here. He's been arrested and Starr was hysterical. She couldn't reach Tea and since some of those charges are federal, she contacted Dorian."
"What charges, why wouldn't Michael call me?" A panicked Carly shrieked.
"I didn't get the full story because Starr was so upset but she thought Dorian's."
"Dorian?" Puzzled Carly asked, "Who's Dorian."
"Satan." Todd replied.
Both women ignored his quip.
"My Aunt is Senator Dorian Lord Buchanan, apparently some of the charges against Michael are Federal when Starr couldn't reach Tea, she's in London on BE business, she called Dorian."
"Then Dorian called me, she's got a sub committee meeting or something."
Blair inexplicably wanted to reach out to the clearly devasted mother. But due to Todd and Carly's new relationship, she wasn't sure if she should. Todd solved her dilemma when he wrapped his arms around Carly and whispered to her,
"Carly, I will do everything in my power to make sure Michael doesn't go back to prison," he gently lifted her shocked face to meet his eyes,
"Up to and including using any of Dorian's resources." Todd shivered at that thought, but he would owe Dorian if he had to.
Carly was comforted by his words, she completely believed him and realized she would trust her son's future to him. She had only truly trusted her children to one other man. She had been right about Jason. While Todd sure wasn't Jason she believed he would watch over her children.
Wiping tears from her eyes and straightening her shoulders to face head on whatever may try to harm her loved ones just as she always had. Except this time Carly turned to the woman she felt she would never live up to in Todd's eyes and heart for answers,
"Why did they arrest him?"
"Starr was hysterical so of course I didn't get the entire story," Blair had found most of her conversation with her daughter confusing but knew she had to come help or at the very least comfort her,
"Michael knew his father that was supposedly dead, was really alive and he is being held on aiding and abetting a fugitive."
