Ike was more than ready for my most decadent tastes, and he promised, as we both earned an exhaustion that might terrify my midwife, that we were just getting started. I was curled into him, using his body to cradle the bump that housed our baby, enjoying the feel of his skin against mine and the crashing waves we could hear through the crack in the sliding glass doors leading to the patio when I brought up the subject of our bedroom.
A tired chuckle, coupled with the slide of his fingers down my bare arm was the first answer I received. "After all that exercise, you want to discuss redecorating?" I smiled against his bare chest, feeling the delicious ache of my own muscles.
"If not now, when?" It was an honest answer. Between the running of the resort, my plans to meet with Klein, then another meeting with my father, presenting the divorce papers to Vera with hopes she'd cooperate, then a civil ceremony so our baby would come into the world in better standing than it was created in, when precisely did we have time to discuss it?
He sighed a little, but tempered the sound with a gentle kiss on my forehead. "Tell me what you'd like, and I'll toss in my own ideas." Fair, and so I did. I wanted to keep the beach feel, but make it a little less glitzy and a little more ship durable. Dark four poster bed with mosquito netting curtains, more substantial looking furniture. I'd seen the bed as Lauren and I drove past an antique furniture store downtown.
Ike nodded, his fingers still tracing my arm. "I like the image I'm getting. What if we add steamer trunks?" I waited, letting him paint his additions onto our visual canvas. "One at the foot of the bed, with extra blankets and pillows? Smaller ones for end tables, like that?"
"I think we're getting there," another kiss on his chest and we talked colors. White linen would be stunning against the dark wood. And the rest would lose the luster glow that seemed to be on every part of the penthouse. Which for now, I was fine with. "A vanity, near the patio would be nice."
"As dark as the rest of the furniture?" He asked, growing into the conversation like I knew he would.
"The one in my bedroom in-" I shut my eyes thinking about my father's house. "Ben's house, would do. I liked it, even if my time under the roof wasn't pleasant."
"It's yours, so I can have someone pick it up and bring it here." He offered and I smiled. "Are there any other things that you want from the house." And with a rush I remembered the piles of money. Damn it.
"Ike, there's something I forgot to mention." And laying in our bed, late at night, after making love and talking about redecorating our home, I told Ike all about the money and what we should do with it.
The next morning, over breakfast in the penthouse, Lauren was excited by the prospect of redecorating her room. After promising that I'd help her, I also had to beg off from doing it immediately.
"I have to go downtown," I felt Ike's eyes on me, the part of my day he wasn't excited about. "I have an appointment with-" I stopped, not wanting her to worry. "A lawyer about my grandfather's estate."
She nodded solemnly, but her dad mentioned that he thought they had some magazines that would help her until I had the time to have a look raised her spirits back up.
I was dressed, like the day before and I had a feeling every day from here on out, by Ike's hands. Skin to heels and gloves, he made sure I knew how precious he thought I was and I knew he was making me promise without words to be careful and safe. I had the ledger in a huge handbag that I'd bought during the shopping trip with Lily, and with him at my side, made my way downstairs. He helped me into the car himself, telling me that I should call him if ANYTHING went wrong and with one last lingering kiss, I told the driver where we were going and we were off.
I'd never met Mr. Klein during my first stay in Miami. I hadn't a single clue what he looked like, or why he thought he could intimidate Ike. All I knew was the building I could find him in, and I hoped that my name alone would force him to take the meeting with me.
My driver looked uncomfortable letting me enter the huge building alone, but I could also sense his unease at the thought of going with me, making me wonder how deeply he'd been entwined in Sy's business dealings before he came into my service. I assured him I would be fine, but also told him that if after an hour I still wasn't out, to call the Miramar and tell Ike. Then I stepped out of the car, into the oppressive heat, and carefully took the steps into the building.
Asking the front desk where to go, I took the elevator to the floor I'd been directed to, and then I was in front of Mr. Klein's guardian of the gate. My name. That was all it took, and within a moment, before I could second guess my decision I was led into a conference room. I noticed the board with photos of Ike, his sons, me, and Ben. I saw Sy, Lily, and even Bel. Al was gone, crossed out, but there were other faces that I knew by sight, but not name.
"Miss Diamond," I was startled by Mr. Klein's appearance. He reminded me a bit of a weasel or some other rodent type animal. Gesturing toward one of the many empty chairs around the conference table he took the one at the head of the table. Sitting down as carefully as I'd taken the steps, I noticed his eyes on my obvious condition. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
I smiled. "I had heard, once upon a time, that you wished to speak with me, Mr. Klein. It was unfortunate that I was called away on family business." I let my hand fall to the top of my bump. "However, I've returned, and I wanted to give you the opportunity to finally have the audience you were so desirous of before."
He studied me, hands templed in front of him, knowing that I wouldn't be in his presence and clutches if I didn't have a winning hand no doubt. "And so you just thought you'd pop in and let me ask you the questions I had before?" I tilted my head, but said nothing. "You and your father aren't exactly close, are you?"
I snorted. Was it a dignified sound, no, but it was warranted. "No, we're not close, Mr. Klein. How could we be? I was raised overseas, after all." I waited for his next attempt.
"And he never visited?" A shake of my head had him moving on. "No calls or postcards?"
"Oh, he called, and there were occasional cards," I waited, he couldn't honestly assume that Ben "The Butcher" Diamond would have put down all his illegal dealings in a letter to his daughter when I was barely old enough to read.
"But no visits?" Another shake. "Why did he invite you to come to Miami?" Ah, the heart of the matter.
I smiled and took off my gloves. "My father invited me to Miami for the same reason you first wanted to speak to me, Mr. Klein." He was staring as I folded my gloves carefully and set them aside. "He wanted to use me to trap Isaac Evans."
"I didn't expect you to-" I held up a single finger and he stopped talking.
"Trap Ike? No, but you wanted to use me to trap Ben, didn't you?" I tilted my head and studied him. "What if I told you, Mr. Klein, that I am willing to hand my father over to you on a silver platter, with a little red bow?"
He was smirking as he answered. "I'd ask you what you expected in return."
And that really was the heart of the matter, wasn't it? What I wanted versus what he wanted from me. As I pulled Ben's ledger from my bag, I had a feeling that we'd both get what we wanted, but my father would be feeling very put out, very soon.
