Not What She Seems Read online

  Not What

  She Seems

  By: Victorine E. Lieske

  Copyright © 2010 by Victorine E. Lieske

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. The wonderful photo of the blue eyes on the cover is by Dan Foy – www.danfoy.com. Used with permission.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Find this and other low cost ebooks at www.addictedtoebooks.com!

  Chapter One

  Steven stalked down the hotel hallway toward his room, gripping his briefcase, glad that no one was around. He needed to get out of his Armani suit before someone recognized him. Not that anyone staying in this run-down hotel would be hanging around his social circles. But someone might recognize him from the news.

  Excitement shot through him. He almost felt like a little kid. If he could get away with it, he would be just another regular person by tomorrow.

  He heard footsteps coming up the stairs. A young tow-headed boy appeared, followed by his mother. The child ran down the hall sideswiping him, knocking his briefcase out of his hand. Files and papers spilled out onto the floor.

  The boy turned around. “Oh, sorry.” He bent down and scooped up some files, while his mother rushed to help as well.

  “No problem, I need to sort through these anyway.”

  The young woman flashed a smile at him, and then turned to her son. “Connor, you need to be more careful,” she said, getting down on her hands and knees. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a loose bun, with several curly blond strands hanging down. She was quite attractive, despite her frumpy sweat pants and t-shirt. Steven found himself checking out her left hand. No ring. Then he mentally smacked himself. What was he doing? He needed to get away, and have some time for himself. Forget about women. They all wanted the same thing from him. He had six point four billion reasons why any woman would want to be with him. Unfortunately, none of them had anything to do with his personality.

  Oh, he was good looking enough. He knew that. His jet black hair and bright blue eyes turned plenty of heads. But he could always tell the moment they recognized him, and the mild interest would be replaced with strong attraction.

  The woman handed him a pile of papers, with an apologetic look on her face. “Sorry about that. He’s just been cooped up in the car too long I think.” She stood and brushed some hair from her face.

  “It’s no big deal.” He adjusted his overnight bag on his shoulder. “Thank you,” he said, searching her face for any sign of recognition.

  “You’re welcome.” She shied away from his blatant staring, looking to the floor, then to her son. “Come on, Connor, we need to get going.”

  Steven turned around. She hadn’t recognized him. That was a good thing. His plan might work. Pulling out his key card, he walked to his door while they disappeared into their own room. He made a mental note of the woman’s room number. Maybe he would pay for her bill as well. Her tattered clothes gave him the impression the seventy five dollars a night might be a bit steep for her.

  ******

  Emily opened her hotel door, and followed Connor into the dimly lit room. Richard sat on one of the beds, waiting for her.

  “Who were you talking to in the hallway?” he asked, his hair hanging in his face, concealing his dark eyes.

  “No one. Just some guy down the hall.” She turned her head away.

  “Well, what were you talking about?” He glared at her, and she knew she had better satisfy him.

  “Nothing. He dropped some papers, and we helped him pick them up. That was all.” She folded her arms and her eyes flashed at Richard, daring him to keep it up.

  He stared back at her for a moment, and then lowering his voice he said, “Well, who is he anyway?”

  “I don’t know. Some guy that looks like Steven Ashton.” She reached up to her hair, fiddling with it.

  “Yeah, right. Like Steven Ashton would stay in this dump.” Richard kicked off his shoes, letting them land in the middle of the floor. “You and the kid get the bed by the air conditioner. The noise will keep me up all night.”

  He stretched out on the bed and turned on the television with the remote. He fell asleep on his back, still in his dingy Iron Maiden t-shirt and jeans. Emily rolled her eyes as his snores filled the room. She dressed Connor in his green dinosaur pajamas, brushed his teeth, and tucked him into bed. She smoothed his long blond hair out of his eyes and kissed his forehead. He desperately needed another haircut. She would have to trim it herself again. Richard would never let her spend the money to get it done at the barber shop.

  Emily slipped into her flannel nightgown. Her life was a mess. Connor needed stability, a place to stay and call their own. This constant running needed to stop.

  If only she hadn’t killed William, then none of this would have happened.

  ******

  Steven stood, waiting for the balding man behind the hotel counter. The man seemed to be a walking advertisement for how one should look when needing a room at the Sleepy Time Inn. He punched some keys on the computer. “Do you have your key card?”

  Steven flipped it onto the counter. “I’d like to pay for room two-fifteen also.”

  The man scowled, and punched some more keys on the computer. “That room is already paid for.”

  “Then when she checks out you’ll have to tell her there was a mix up in the computer, and that you have to give her a refund.” He smiled and added, “And you can keep this for your trouble.” He pushed several bills at him and left before there were any more arguments.

  The September sun wasn’t up when Steven slipped into his new truck. As he left Mesquite, Nevada and crossed the border into Arizona, he marveled at the beauty of the land. The rising sun danced off the vast open desert as it peeked above the mountains. Splashes of color changed before his eyes as the day began. Starting to feel renewed, he stretched back, glad that he had decided to do this.

  Not that he had been planning to get away. It was actually a spur of the moment decision. After his Friday meeting in LA, he told his pilot that he wouldn’t need him for the return trip. A quick call to his mother to say he was going on a vacation, and he turned off his cell phone and split.

  He probably wouldn’t have felt the need to get away if it weren’t for the last few gala events that he had been forced to attend. The women clung to him, babbling on about senseless things. Since when had his life become an endless sea of socialite cocktail parties and fundraisers which had little to do with saving the dolphins or AIDS research? He was so tired of being used.

  Desperate for a break, he had decided to leave, to go where no one would recognize him. Where there were no social elite, where everyone just left you alone. He wanted to have a conversation with someone without wondering if they would be talking to him if he weren’t Steven Ashton the billionaire.

  He used to visit his great aunt in the small town of Huntington, Nebraska when he was young. He had fond memories of the town. He figured it would be the perfect place to go.

  ******

  The small cramped car, filled with everything they owned, radiated heat. Emily sat in the back seat with Connor while Richard drove, smoking a cigarette and flicking the ashes out the window. She had no idea where they were going, nor did she care. The only thing in the world she cared about was her son. She caressed his cheek with one finger while he played with his toy dinosaur.

  Richard turned off the highway, following a road into a small town. Emily watched the scenery change from the outskirts of to
wn, to the business district. Richard stopped in front of a pawn shop. He left the motor running. “Stay in the car.” He grabbed a duffle bag from the front seat and left.

  Emily closed her eyes, and pretended she didn’t know what he was doing. He never took her and Connor on the jobs with him, but sometimes they were with him when he unloaded the merchandise.

  What a life she was subjecting her son to. Pain washed over her as she thought of his innocence. He would be old enough for kindergarten soon. What would she do then? Richard would never allow him to go to school.

  She would have to get some money somehow, and leave Richard soon.

  Chapter Two

  Driving across the country turned out to be fascinating. Steven stopped in Grand Junction to fuel his truck and get lunch. To amuse himself while he ate, he watched the people around him.

  A few feet away a young couple struggled to keep their daughter in her chair. He suspected they had been driving for a while, and now that she was free from her car seat she was taking advantage of it. Giggles cascaded from her as she ran past Steven for the fifth time.

  Two bikers wearing leather jackets came in. They wore long beards and reminded him of a ZZ Top video he saw quite a few years ago. They were having an animated discussion. On the other side of the restaurant sat two teenagers dressed completely in black. The young woman had short spiked hair, dark eyeliner, black painted fingernails, hanging silver chains, and was eating with a young man of exactly the same description.

  An older woman with disheveled grey hair was sitting beside a balding man picking at his food. Every once in a while she would lean over and ask quite loudly if he was done eating.

  Steven chuckled to himself. He wondered what people saw when they looked at him. He glanced down at his dress shirt and slacks, and frowned. Throwing his trash away, he left.

  Before leaving Grand Junction, Steven stopped at a department store and purchased a selection of t-shirts, denim jeans and tennis shoes. He even purchased a pair of wire-rimmed reading glasses to wear. Blending in shouldn’t be a problem now. At least he wouldn’t look like some rich jerk.

  Steven hopped back into his truck and continued along I-70. As Steven drove, the time seemed to fly by, and he could see the mountains turn into hills, and then flatten out as he neared Nebraska. The countryside was quite beautiful, with the rocky hillside and the occasional tumble weed blowing by.

  Steven thought back to the conversation he’d had with his mother on Friday. She had asked him if he was taking anyone on his vacation, her voice hopeful. He smiled and shook his head. He knew she wanted him to settle down and marry someone.

  She hadn’t always been so bothered by him being single, but now that he was into his thirties she was coming on a bit stronger. It’s not like he hadn’t dated. Steven knew his mother was aware of his failed relationships. The worst had been Bailee. Pain still stabbed at him when he thought about her, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

  They were celebrating Valentine’s Day, and he had taken Bailee to an upscale restaurant in downtown Manhattan. She had her auburn hair swept up in a French knot, and her black evening gown complimented her slender figure. She was breathtaking, as always, and Steven smiled as they chatted during their dinner. They had been dating for several months, and Steven knew he could easily fall in love with her, if he hadn’t already. She politely excused herself from the table, and while she was gone he had slipped the small jewelry box onto her seat.

  He watched her face light up when she came back and saw the small jewelry box.

  “Steven, what is this?” Bailee asked, smiling.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Steven watched as she opened the jewelry box. A frown crept across her face when she saw the diamond earrings he had picked out for her. The frown disappeared and a look he couldn’t quite comprehend replaced it. “Earrings, how precious.”

  Later that evening, when he dropped her off at her apartment she had passionately kissed him good night. As he was leaving it had dawned on him that she had probably thought he was going to propose to her. Feeling like a dolt for disappointing her, he went back to apologize. He knocked on her door and let himself in when she didn’t answer right away. He was going to call her name when he heard her talking on the phone in the other room. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but when he heard what she was saying, he froze.

  “Can you believe it? He got me earrings for Valentine’s Day. I swear, if he doesn’t ask me to marry him soon I’m going rip my hair out. I can’t stand much more of this. He’s a complete bore. I think I fell asleep three times listening to him drone on tonight. There’s got to be more interesting billionaires in New York City.”

  Silently he left her apartment, devastated with what he had heard her say. After several days of brooding, he finally confronted her with what he had heard. She didn’t even try to deny it.

  “Look, Steven, you need a wife with poise and refinement, and I need the kind of lifestyle that you can provide,” Bailee said with her hands on her hips. “I know how to act in your social circles, and you must admit we do look good together. In our social class every marriage isn’t about falling in love.” Steven frowned, muttered something about her being deplorable, and left thoroughly disgusted with her. He had never told anyone why he had stopped seeing Bailee.

  Monday morning brought with it a light smattering of rain, and Steven got on the road once more. Blending in to a small town turned out to be harder than Steven had thought it would be. As he drove through Nebraska, he stopped in several places to eat and get fuel for his truck. The brand new truck he had purchased seemed to attract just about everyone’s attention, and he even caught a glimpse of someone taking his photograph on their cell phone as he drove by. Feeling a bit foolish for choosing such a flashy truck, he decided to trade it in for a less noticeable vehicle. After eating lunch in Lexington, he stopped at the first used car lot he saw. He ended up leaving with an older pickup, one with quite a few miles on the odometer and a bit of rust peeking out from under the body.

  Steven pulled into Huntington at seven o’clock. He drove through the small downtown, looking at the few restaurants placed sparsely throughout the area. His stomach growled. Chinese didn’t appeal to him, and he definitely didn’t want to eat at a fast food joint. He found himself slowing down in front of a small café with red and white striped curtains and the words ‘Downtown Café’ scrawled across the top. The inside was brightly lit, and with dusk quickly disappearing into the night Steven found the café inviting. He pulled into a parking stall and turned off his truck, satisfied to have found such a nice place to eat.

  As he walked into the Downtown Café, he was enveloped by the savory kitchen smells. He was hungrier than he had thought. The hostess appeared young. This was probably her first job, or perhaps she was the daughter of the owner. She handed him a menu and led him to one of the round Ethan Allen style pedestal tables.

  His waitress was in her early fifties, with several grey streaks running through her dark curly hair. The lines around her eyes told him that she liked to smile, which she did as she approached Steven.

  “What can I get for you, sweetie?” she said with a slight Midwestern accent.

  “What would you recommend, Rose?” he asked, reading her name tag.

  Her face brightened and she said, “We have a really nice grilled flank steak, with fried onions and tomatoes, but our herbed chicken breast is pretty good too.”

  “I’ll have the steak, thank you.”

  “And how would you like your steak?”

  “Medium rare, please.” Steven adjusted his wire rim glasses as Rose made some notes on her order pad.

  “And would you like soup or salad with that?”

  “I would love some of that wonderful smelling broccoli cheese soup.”

  “Oh, that’s a good choice–” Rose paused, probably hoping to get a name from him. Steven had not thought about that yet. He surely wasn’t going to go by Steven Ashton. He glanced down at t
he table.

  “Ethan,” he said.

  “Good choice, Ethan.” Rose said with a smile.

  Steven got up early the next day and started looking for an apartment. The town was clean; the people kept their lawns trimmed and neat. He found a small furnished two bedroom apartment for rent just a few blocks away from the short downtown strip. He looked forward to walking around the town and relaxing for a few days.

  After he unpacked his things, and felt a little more settled, he decided to see what was on the television before going out to get groceries. He flipped through the channels, looking for something interesting. He stopped to watch the afternoon news. The newscaster was saying something about a fire in California.

  “In other national news, Steven Ashton, New York’s youngest and wealthiest entrepreneur has been missing now for several days…”

  Steven’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at his photograph on the television.

  ******

  Richard threw his cigarette out the window and gripped the steering wheel. Emily could tell he was anxious, and didn’t know what to expect from him. Richard started hollering. “Did you hear that? Did you hear what they just said on the radio?” Emily was silent. She knew he didn’t want to hear from her. “They just said that Steven Ashton has been reported missing for three days! How much did that guy at the hotel look like Steven Ashton?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “It wasn’t him, Richard.”

  “Shut up. I want to hear this.” He turned the radio up louder.

  “Steven Ashton was last reported seen in LA. Mr. Ashton’s net worth is over 6.4 billion dollars.”

  Richard took the next exit, looking for a gas station. The radio newscaster continued to another story, but Richard didn’t seem to be listening anymore. He parked beside the pay phone, and started looking through the papers that littered the floor. Emily knew better than to say anything to him.