Running Into You

Liam hopped on the elevator and assessed his clothes. Everything was soaked through.

He stopped at Jennings on the sixth floor and found out from the receptionist that Maggie had met with Sam Wheeling. Wasting no time, Liam immediately went in to see him.

After exchanging pleasantries, Sam raised an eyebrow at Liam as he listened to the young man talk.

“…I feel bad for knocking her over, so I would like to return her phone and make it up to her.”

“Well, Liam, I will get you her contact information this one time, only because I feel bad for the young lady. She needs someone to look out for her.”

“Can you tell me what happened? Why did she come to you?”

“Well, we have a contract with her employer for one-hour free legal consultations. She came to us and asked if she had any recourse for her particular situation.

“Since we don’t have a contract, I can tell you that her boyfriend and a close friend cleaned out her bank account, opened a credit card in her name, maxed it out in a few weeks, then disappeared.

“I can’t do anything until they are arrested. I feel so bad that I can’t help. I gave her some tips on what to do with her card, but unfortunately, that’s all I can do.”

“That is terrible! Thanks, Sam, I appreciate the help. I want to get her phone back to her.”

They talked a few more minutes before Liam left to change. Sam watched the suave man head to the elevators.

Sam’s brother, Elmer, approached and asked about the visit.

“I am not sure, but I have a feeling that man’s life is going to be changed after today. I don’t think he knows what he has gotten into. It will be very interesting to watch!”

They chuckled and went on with their day.

Liam ran up to his office and quickly changed into a pair of pants and a clean shirt. He called in Nick, his good friend and go-to tech guy.

“What’s up, Liam?” Nick asked.

“I need you to see if this phone is in good working order. If it’s not, I need you to get a new one and have the contents transferred. And I need it within the next few hours.”

Nick took the phone and started examining it. “I think too much water got in. There is something wrong with the screen, and the processor won’t survive a refurb.

“I would recommend a replacement. Let me go work with my guys and I will have a new one in a few hours, okay?”

Liam thanked him and let him carry on. He sat at his desk and decided to look up Maggie online to see what he could learn about this beautiful woman.

***

Maggie drove home, parked outside, grabbed her purse and the soaked gym shirt, and dashed to her building door. She walked up to the third floor, not bothering to wait for the elevator.

Inside her apartment, Makayla was sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for her. Makayla looked up and saw her dear friend resembling a half-drowned rat.

“Holy shit! Maggie, what happened? Are you okay?”

Maggie just walked up to her, fell into her arms, and sobbed for a few minutes. When she had composed herself, Makayla directed her to a chair

“Tell me what happened, sweetie,” she coaxed gently.

Maggie told her how the meeting went and that there was nothing she could do until they were caught.

“But that doesn’t explain why you are soaked to the bone, Mags!”

“I was running to my car when this guy ran into me, and I fell into a puddle.

“My stuff went flying, and I had to pick everything up while the rain poured down. It was the icing on the cake of a completely shitty day!”

“Did he help or apologize or anything?”

“Yea, he asked what he could do to help, and I told him he had done enough. I wasn’t in the mood for any funny business.”

Makayla hugged her again and said, “Why don’t you go take a shower and change and I will make you some tea and soup.”

Maggie went back to her room and dropped her dress to the floor with a splat. She peeled off the lacy bra and panties and threw them in the hamper.

She saw her beloved cat, Gus, sleeping on her bed and scratched him behind the ears, whispering, “You’re the only guy I can trust, Gus,” before going to her bathroom.

She turned on the water as she looked in the mirror. Her makeup was running down her face and she had goosebumps all over.

There was some dried blood on her elbow and on her ankle. Her tailbone was starting to ache, and as she turned, she noticed a bruise forming on her left butt cheek.

Maggie looked back again and took inventory of her looks.

She was a twenty-six-year-old woman with dark auburn hair that fell below her shoulders in normally soft waves. Her skin was pale and creamy, with a few freckles on her face and some scattered moles.

She had bright blue eyes and a good physique, including a small waist, c-cup breasts forming what Makayla called a ‘great rack’, and a cute bubble butt.

Her legs were shapely, and her arms toned from years of playing softball. No matter what rotten luck she had, there was plenty to be proud of, she thought as she got in the shower.

The hot water felt good, warming her up and helping wash away the cold and dirt from the morning.

She desperately wished the warmth would wash away the memories of the last two months, but she knew that wasn’t possible.

Maggie didn’t know if she would ever be able to forget what had happened. Or trust a man again.