Stolen...(Completed Version) (standard:drama, 3341 words)
Author: mykemyk	Added: Jun 24 2005	Views/Reads: 3394/2237	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Gavin Dane adjusts to being the notoriety of being a published novelist.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

question over in his mind carefully before answering. "Honestly", he 
started, "I don't know for sure...I do know, for a fact, he will have 
to keep stealing...!" "Get some sleep, Gavin" Laura told him. "You have 
a busy day tomorrow!" 

Gavin tossed the receiver back into its cradle and, again, found himself
gazing intently at the laptop. He didn't feel like getting any 
sleep...nor did he feel like preparing for a busy day. "I'm not a 
writer...I'm a thief!" he hissed angrily. He wasn't used to this kind 
of attention. At first, the notoriety was flattering...the thoughts of 
being in the spotlight were intriguing. But, after the first few days, 
it had all begun to wear on him. He was used to coming and going as he 
pleased...sleeping all day and "snatching" at night. Now, he was 
expected to simply lie down, forget the events of the day, and get the 
needed rest to face more of the same tomorrow. 

Sometime later, in the wee hours of the morning, Gavin felt himself
drifting off to sleep. He had made a decision. He had always been the 
master of his own destiny. He was determined to live as he always had. 
Although the sudden fame of having a novel published had caught him off 
guard, he was confident that he would be able to recoup...to 
adjust...to get back to the life he had always known. Earlier in the 
evening, he had called the front desk and told them that he did not, 
under any circumstances, want to be disurbed. The voice on the other 
end of the phone assured him that the hotel staff would comply with his 
wishes completely. Gavin remembered how Laura Tate had told him to get 
some rest...that tomorrow was going to be a busy day. "Busy for her", 
he thought to himself. As for me, I will get back to the life I have 
made for myself!" 

Megan Waters, manager of The Glade Hotel did not like to be interrupted.
Having taken the helm of what investors had decided was a sinking ship, 
she had, in five short years, taken the hotel from obscurity to 
prominence. These days, she spent most of her time conferring with 
potential clients. The Glade was quickly becoming the address for the 
"movers and shakers" from all around the city. Her plans were to 
broaden that base to include the county, state, counrty, and soon, 
globe. 

The interruption came in the form of an "instant message" that appeared
on the computer screen in her private office. She had dragged the 
entire staff, kicking and screaming, into the world of cyberspace. 
Instead of babbling over the phone, within earshot of a frustrated 
guest, the staff could now silently message her...without ever taking 
their eyes off the situation in front of them. As Megan read the 
message, she almost laughed at its content. Apparently, there was a 
literary agent, named Laura Tate, waiting in the lobby for Gavin Dane, 
the novelist residing in a suite on the 18th floor of the hotel. Mr. 
Dane had instructed the front desk that he did not want to be 
disturbed. The front desk was doing all they knew to do in order to 
accomodate him. 

Megan left her office and briskly walked to the lobby area. As she
entered the lobby, she took inventory of the situation. On the other 
side of the front desk stood a young woman. Without looking at her 
employee behind the front desk, Megan strode to the other side of the 
counter, extended her hand, and said, "Ms. Tate, I am Megan Waters, 
manager of The Glade. I can certainly understand your frustration. I am 
sure you have been told that Mr. Dane has left explicit instructions 
that he does not want to be disturbed. However, if you will give me 
just a second, I will speak to Mr. Dane personally, and see that you 
are not kept waiting any longer than is absolutely necessary. Without 
giving Laura Tate time to respond, Megan quickly turned to take waiting 
receiver from the hand of her desk clerk...While Megan had been 
speaking to Ms. Tate, her desk clerk had called Mr. Dane's room and had 
gotten Gavin on the line. Within seconds, Megan was, once again, facing 
Laura Tate. "Mr. Dane", she began, "Is terribly sorry he has 
inconvenienced you. He says that he will be down to meet you, here in 
the lobby, shortly. Again, before Laura Tate could respond, Megan was 
already heading back to her office. As she walked past her desk clerk, 
she smiled warmly at the young lady. She made a mental note to email 
the operations manager as soon as she returned to her office. Such 
professionalism should not go unrewarded. 

Laura Tate could hardly control her anger. Gavin Dane, though a talented
author, showed no interest, whatsoever, in the plans she had made for 
him. She'd had her share of egocentric authors. She was certain she 
could control Gavin, it was just hard to understand how anyone could 
show so little interest in something they had set out to achieve. She 
thought of hundreds of talented writers who would give all they own to 
be in Gavin's shoes. Yet, he seemed determined to undermine her every 
attempt to push him toward the spotlight. 

She was still fuming when she spotted Gavin approaching her. If he felt
any remorse at what he'd just put her through, he certainly did not 
show it. When she was certain he was within earshot, she said, "I want 
you to know, upfront, that no one has ever kept me waiting this long!" 
Gavin never slowed his pace, nor showed any change of facial 
expression. When he reached her, he stated flatly, "I am used to doing 
things that no one else has ever done before." The look on his face 
told her that she could expect no further comment in regards to what he 
had forced her to endure. She stood there for a moment...honestly 
wondering what she should do next. Before she could make up her mind, 
he leaned toward her, placed his hand on the small of her back, and 
shifted his body...nudging her slightly, and said, "Let's go to 
breakfast...I'm starving." Laura was still fuming as they got into the 
limousine. 

Though still angry, Laura decided to overlook the fiasco Gavin had
orchestrated at the hotel. If he was trying to make some kind of 
statement, her contempt would only fuel the fire. Instead, she decided 
she would completely ignore his earlier behavior...she would take her 
time with Gavin. She had never handled a client who had this much 
potential. She was still thinking of how to coax Gavin into doing as 
she wished when they finished breakfast. Gavin attempted to pick up the 
check. Laura quickly snatched it from his hand and said, "You have the 
potential to make me more money than I would ever know how to spend. 
This breakfast is on me!" The look on the young author's face told her 
that she had gained some ground in their relationship. In fact, for a 
moment, she saw an expression on his face she had never seen 
before...an almost boyish look of embarrassment much like that of a 
child having his hand caught in the cookie jar. As quickly as the 
expression appeared, it vanished. Laura was still trying to think of 
something to say when she dicovered her wallet was missing. 

Back in the limousine, Laura, again, apologized to Gavin. "I have no
idea what has become of my wallet. I know I had it this morning. It was 
all so embarrassing!" "Don't worry about it", Gavin replied. "I always 
carry a bit of cash with me...it was no big deal." "It is a big deal", 
Laura said heatedly..."All my credit cards, driver's license, social 
security card, and  three hundred dollars in cash... They're all gone!" 
As they pulled up in front of the hotel, Gavin turned to Laura and 
said, "Listen, you are obviously upset. Come up to my room. We can call 
around. We'll even call the police if we need to...C'mon, it will all 
be ok." 

Upon leaving the elevator, Gavin, again, allowed his hand to gently
touch the small of her back, leaned in, and nudged her..."Cheer up! 
"You'll see", he continued, "Everything will be ok." Once in his room, 
Gavin tossed his coat onto the chair nearest the door. He then began 
loosening his tie. He stopped, pointed to the sofa, and said, "Sit!" 
Laura, still in shock over the disappearance of her wallet, quickly 
complied. Once seated, she found he had postioned himself directly in 
front of her...standing, almost, over her. "Before we call the police", 
he began, "Take another look into your purse." "There is no use", she 
said. "I emptied my purse on the table of the restaurant...my wallet is 
gone!" Gavin, again, spoke softly, "Just look again." Laura, feeling 
the temperature beginning to rise on the back of her neck, grabbed the 
purse, opened it, and emptied its contents onto the cushion beside her. 
There, in the midst of all the necessities every woman crams into her 
purse, lay the wallet. She picked it up, as if it might be armed to 
explode at any moment. Gingerly, she opened it up and began to take 
inventory of its contents. "Everything is here", she said weakly. 
"Everything, except the three hundred dollars in cash." 

Gavin sat down on the sofa beside her. Without speaking, he reached into
his shirt pocket and pulled out a neatly folded little wad of bills. 
"If you count this", he stated, "You will find there's three hundred 
dollars here." As Laura sat there, staring at the money in Gavin's 
hand, he continued. "This morning, at the hotel, when I brushed against 
you, I took your wallet. A few moments ago, just outside the elevator, 
I brushed up against you again...I put the wallet back. Your credit 
cards, driver's license, social security card...they are all there. 
Only the cash is missing...because, I only steal cash...!" 

Unable to speak, Laura simply sat there, staring back at Gavin.
Convinced she had nothing to say, he continued. "You said, I have the 
potential to make you more money than you could ever spend. You are 
right. For example, it took me five seconds to steal three hundred 
dollars from you. For a working man, that figures out to be about 
$3600.00 an hour...which is not bad. A forty hour week would generate 
about $144,000.00...tax free! Of course, the circles I travel in 
involves people who carry more than $300.00 on their person. But, I 
think we should just stay with the example I have just given you. Of 
course there is the book. If you are as good as you say you are, we are 
looking at thousands of dollars in both book and movie royalties. That 
is, if we stop right here, right now. Until caught, I will keep 
stealing. Whether or not I write another page in the life of Jack Dancy 
is entirely up to you." 

Laura sat limply on the sofa. It was as if there were no energy in any
of her limbs. Her throat was dry and her tongue felt as though it were 
three sizes too large for her mouth. After several minutes, she finally 
managed to speak. "Why tell me? Why now? Why would you risk everything 
to admit something so dreadful to me?" 

Gavin looked at Laura for a long time before speaking. When he began,
she noted that he seemed as if he were, just now, feeling the full 
impact of what he had  told her. "I told you", he began,"Because you 
have been nice to me. I realize, by representing me, you have a chance 
to make a lot of money. I also realize that you might be tempted to 
walk away from the whole thing. You already are guaranteed to make a 
considerable sum of money off what I have already done. I just couldn't 
help wondering what you might do if you knew the truth. You could turn 
me in now and have your fifteen minutes of fame. I could say that you 
were in on it the whole time...I wouldn't, but I could. Or, you could 
simply decide to go along for the ride...going to different cities, 
living in the nicest hotels and resorts...all the while, awaiting the 
next chapter in the life of Jack Dancy. If you are half as talented as 
you say you are, soon, the entire world would be wondering what Jack 
Dancy is going to do next. I have laid all the cards on the table. The 
choice is yours to make." 

Laura looked at Gavin as if seeing him for the first time. She thought
of  how he'd handled himself in front of the press at the book signing. 
He was right. There was more money at stake than she had ever imagined 
possible. She was good at what she did. She had no doubt that Jack 
Dancy would have an audience for years to come. She looked up at Gavin. 
As she looked into his eyes, she found herself thinking of how she'd 
felt when he brushed up against her in the hotel lobby...and, again, 
when they had stepped off the elevator. She was used to having to make 
big decisions quickly. But this...this was a decision that would alter 
the course of her life completely. There was a part of her that was 
scared...frightened almost beyond reason. Yet, there was a growing 
sense of recklessness...a wild and thrilling sense of...of what, she 
didn't even know. 

Although standing there, looking relaxed, she knew Gavin had taken risk
beyond any he had ever dared imagine. Unable to think of anything else 
to say, she asked, "Did you really plan for all of this to 
happen...just this way?" Gavin, turning away, as if suddenly shy, began 
to speak haltingly. "I don't know...maybe...no, well, Dammit!" He 
turned to her quickly, fell to his knees...bringing his eyes to her 
level, and said, "Have you ever witnessed something so amazing...so 
unbelievably thrilling that you simply had to tell someone...only to 
realize that there is no one there to tell?" He looked deeply into her 
eyes, then continued. "I dunno, I guess I just came to a point where I 
began to look for someone...someone to see what I see...exactly when I 
see it. I really didn't know it was going to be you...I really 
didn't...but, I guess it is going to be you...at least, I hope it will 
be you." 

Laura slowly leaned forward...moving to within inches of Gavin's face.
He had, in his amazing confession, laid his entire life at her feet. 
Trying to remain calm, she stared into his eyes intently and whispered, 
"So, how do we seal the deal...do we shake hands...or kiss?" Gavin, now 
visibly moved, responded, "I would prefer we kiss...we have already 
shook hands...!" 


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