Teach Me - Chapter 1

“Julissa Harrison, hmm? Interesting name. And very interesting food. Are you the owner of J & J Delights?”

“Co-owner, actually,” I corrected. “My sister Jean and I own it.” I smiled widely at the aging, mostly bald man in front of me, doing my best not to bat my green eyes or fluff my strawberry-gold hair. Business from a man of his importance was just what our struggling catering company needed!

He smiled down at me, making me well aware of our height differences. At barely five-four I was more than used to having to look up at people. “I’ll come find you before I leave, Miss Harrison. I might have you cater our Christmas party.”

“That would be great Mayor Smith! Here’s my business card just in case I get too busy with things.” I smiled and handed the aging mostly bald mayor my card, shaking his hand one more time. “And I’ll have Stacy bring you a refill of that champagne.”

I turned in the direction I’d seen my employee head but was stopped by the sudden grabbing of my arm.

“Not a word, understood? We’re gonna quietly and quickly walk out of here and you’re not gonna do a damn thing to draw attention to yourself. Once we’s out of here you’re not gonna say a word neither. Keep your pretty mouth shut and no one has to get hurt. You got it?”

I did my best not to laugh at what had to be the worst impersonation of a Jersey accent ever, covering my smile with a quick nod. I felt no reason to be afraid of this guy and whatever he was about to do to me. Sure he sounded gruff but he didn’t look as if he could hurt a fly! He was in his early forties I had to guess and maybe five-foot-six at the most with thinning brown hair and wary amber eyes. He reeked of the peppermint gum he was busy chomping on. Just quit smoking, I had to guess. I pegged him as a doting father of two and the happy husband to a stay-at-home mom who loved to bake. Yeah, nothing to be afraid of with this guy.

He didn’t look like he was about to do anything to hurt me so I went along with him, hoping this was just some misunderstanding. Or maybe he or someone he knew liked the catering job I’d done for this party at downtown Omaha’s Luxury Suite Hotel and wanted to hire me!

“Oh!” I stopped short. “Before we go do you mind if I tell one of my employees that I need to step outside for a few minutes?” I didn’t want to leave anyone in the lurch in case some problem popped up. I also wanted to quickly grab my bag and coat as it was mid-November and only in the thirties outside.

“It’ll be more than a few minutes,” the guy snapped at me.

“Okay well then just let me tell someone I’m going to be busy, okay? I can’t just leave a party I’m responsible for in a way!”

The guy glared at me but relented telling me to “Make it snappy.” I did and less than ten minutes later we were hurrying towards the entrance of the hotel with two similarly dressed guys behind us.

I glanced behind me at the newcomers who had joined us, wondering what was going on here. The two behind us were taller than the one holding my elbow and wore somber expressions that clearly said “don’t fuck with us”. The guy to the left had a bit of a stomach paunch and looked to be the oldest of the three. The guy to his right was the youngest of the bunch.

“So um do you three work for someone who’d like to hire me to cater something?”

All three guys laughed the sound unkind and dirty. “Sure, honey,” the one guy behind me said. “Boss man’s gonna hire you out for something if you want to think of it that way.” The guy next to him said, “But I don’t think it’s gonna be for your cooking skills, Sweetheart.”

A tremor of fear ran down my spine as one of the two behind me, the older of the two, a heavyset guy with a stomach paunch and skin that looked like leather, grabbed my other elbow. We’d just exited the ballroom and were heading down the corridor that led to the lobby and the entrance. “Don’t make us have to hurt you, Miss,” he growled in an angry whisper to me.

I looked around me. A hotel employee was busy helping an older couple remove luggage from their car and a group of teens were sitting on a bench talking and enjoying the snowfall. Should I scream? I didn’t have a clue where I was being led, though I still didn’t feel that I was in any danger.

“You sure this is the girl?” the guy behind me asked. “She sure don’t look like Greggy’s usual type! I don’t see no fake boobies and she’s got a nice ass but she ain’t nothing special. And I’m pretty sure Greggy doesn’t go for girls who can cook.”

I silently shook my head at that, not at all offended or hurt. He was stating the obvious. There was nothing special about my appearance.

“Yeah, this is her. Gregg said she’d be wearing a black dress, fancy shoes and flashy necklace. Plus she’s got big red hair. It’s her.”

I stifled a laugh. I’d been at a dressy event. Many women had been wearing black dresses and “flashy” necklaces with dressy shoes! It was the required look of the evening! I was wearing a multi-strand turquoise beaded necklace that I wasn’t flashy by any means but I didn’t expect the average guy to know that.

“Uh guys I don’t know what’s going on here but I’ve got to agree with what he said. I’m pretty sure I’m not who you’re looking for.” I winced at the fear in my voice. I didn’t think I was that scared, really, but this was an unusual situation and it was a little nerve-wracking to be forcefully led away by three rather grim and imposing guys all in black.

“Gregg said she’d put up a fuss,” observed the guy who’d most recently grabbed my elbow.

“I’m not ‘putting up a fuss’! I’m just stating that I don’t think I’m whoever you’re looking for! I’m part of the catering crew at the party we left. I wasn’t a guest and I don’t know any Gregg or Greggy or whatever his name is!”

We’d no sooner exited the hotel when the first guy stopped in mid-step, effectively halting the rest of us, and said, “Everyone just shut up would ya? There’s peoples around here and we don’t wanna call attention to what’s going on. Don’t need no authorities asking why we’re taking off with a hot chick.”

I couldn’t help myself. I giggled. This was sort of fun! Well, despite the fact that the three guys surrounding me had clearly been told to bring whoever they thought I was somewhere to meet some guy named Gregg.

We began walking again, moving along quicker thanks to the short guy who now seemed really angry. Our hurry was also likely spurned on by the fat flakes of snow that were quickly falling around us. The short guy glared at me as we continued along. I smiled an apology. I knew all about hating to be laughed at for the things you said. “Thanks for calling me hot,” I said with sincerity. He blushed in reply and ducked his head.

The third guy stepped around us and ran ahead to a nearby unmarked white van, opening the back door to it. The two guys holding me captive pushed me into it, the short guy coming in with me and forcing me to sit down on the blanket-covered floor of the van. He picked up a blindfold and some rope that had been handily placed there, placing the blindfold over my eyes and telling me to hold out my wrists in front of me.

I’d been silent so far more out of curiosity than because I’d been told to be but I finally opened my mouth to speak. “I don’t know what’s going on here or where you’re taking me but—”

“Just shut up Miss. You’ll see Gregg soon enough and he’ll explain everything.”

“Who’s Gregg? I don’t know any Gregg! I’m not whoever you think I am!” I was beginning to wish I had screamed for help.

“Shut it Red,” the short guy snarled at me. “Step on it Tuck,” he added. The anger in his voice told me not to bother arguing so I stayed silent.

As I felt the van begin to move, three questions began to plague me. Who was Gregg? Was I being kidnapped? And if I was, what was about to happen to me?