Break My Fall (12 page)

“Fuck,” he hissed, before stalking off, leaving me standing on the dance floor, watching him walk away from me, taking my heart with him.

Chapter Ten

LEE

Kyle was avoiding me.

It was obvious.

It wasn’t the typical storming out of a room whenever he saw me kind of avoidance; he was too smooth for that.

Instead he chose to regard me with the whole ignorance is bliss theory.

I tried not to care.

I was busy with work, and rarely at home during the day anymore.

I had Linda pile so many extra shifts on me at the hotel that I shouldn’t have had time to think about Kyle.

I still did though, constantly.

He wasn’t the type of man, a girl could forget.

He was polite to me at dinner, or it the others were around.

That’s where it ended though.

He never touched me, or stood too close.

He avoided sitting next to me, and always excused himself from the room when we were left on our own.

But the tension between Kyle and I was still there, simmering away beneath the surface.

I pretended not to notice the looks he gave me when he thought I wasn’t looking, or the way his eyes followed me around the room.

I tried not let him get to me, but couldn’t stop the shredded feeling inside of me.

They were all returning to college soon.

I was secretly jealous of them, their opportunities were limitless, mine less so.

I had brains, just no opportunity to use them other than reading.

I thought about the evening two weeks ago, when Kyle had come back from one of his business trips.

I had decided to join in a game of poker with Derek, Dixon and Mo.

I was sitting beside Dixon, listening to him teaching me the rules, when Kyle had strolled into the room.

He sat in the armchair opposite to where I was on the floor, observing the game with a look of thunder on his face.

Whenever Dixon had leaned too close to me, or left his hand on mine too long, Kyle had shifted in his chair, or cleared his throat.

His boiling point had been when I won a game, and Dixon had kissed my cheek.

I hadn’t wanted Dixon to touch me, much less kiss me but I had remained still.

Kyle hadn’t.

He had practically jumped out of the chair and stormed off, slamming the sitting room door behind him.

I had gone after him, unsure as to why.

But I had.

“Is everything okay Kyle?” I had asked when I found him in the back yard.

He was leaning against the garden wall, pressing his forehead against the cool stone.

He swung around when I spoke.

Glaring at me, he spat, “Is everything okay? How could anything be okay with you here?”

He had then proceeded to kick over a flowerpot, implying some snide comment that ‘he guessed I was just the same as the rest of them’ before storming into the house.

After that, life was miserable in the house.

Kyle made rude, suggestive comments whenever he had the opportunity, and I stayed in my room more when I was home.

I wasn’t sure why he had been so angry with me for playing poker.

I guessed it was to do with mixing with his friends.

I didn’t join in any more poker games, or go downstairs when they were having a party.

I kept away from Kyle and his tumultuous mood swings.

KYLE

She was driving me fucking insane.

I couldn’t get the taste of her out of my head, or the feel of her when she’d been pressed up against me.

I wanted in her so bad, I thought my balls would shrivel up and fall off.

I’d slept with more women in the past few weeks in a bid to get Lee out of my head, that I’d lost count.

They didn’t help though; I’d just imagined her face every time I came, which defeated the purpose.

She was taunting me on purpose, fucking flaunting herself around the place, flirting with Dixon.

At the club, she’d asked me if I wanted her. Was she crazy?

Of course, I fucking wanted her, that’s why I walked away from her that night.

I was doing this for her.

I wished she wouldn’t make it so goddamn hard for me.

I should be relieved she flirted with Dixon.

I couldn’t have her, and he was doing me a favor.

Then why did I feel like ripping his, and every guy who looked at hers’ head off?

“Dude, where are you going? We have class in like ten minutes?” Derek called from across the campus quad.

I shook my head, “I’ve got to sort some work out.”

Fuck, this was harder than I thought it would be.

I’d managed work and school last year without a hitch.

But Lee was throwing a spanner in the works and my head was all over the place.

Chapter Eleven  

LEE

I arrived to work ten minutes early.

I wanted to get a head start on my chores.

I had been working at the hotel for two months, and was settling into a comfortable routine.

Every day I clocked in, checked the room roster, grabbed my cleaning cart and set off in the staff elevator.

I liked to start on the top floor, and work my way down to the first.

I was scrubbing the skirting boards in the first floor corridor, when Linda’s voice called from behind me.

“There you are,” she said as she rushed towards me.

I looked up from my hands and knees position on the floor.

“I need you downstairs in the Mr. Carter’s office ASAP.”

She pulled me up, and started loading my cloths and spray onto my trolley.

“I’ll get this cleared away, but you better get downstairs.”

I stood and straightened my dress.

“Okay, is there something wrong?”

I was nervous.

Linda never asked to do anything besides work my cleaning route before.

“Yes and no. Mr. Carter is here and he is a little angry. I went over his head hiring you; he usually does the hiring and the firing.”

Firing?

I swallowed a gulp, my hands fluttered to my chest.

“Oh don’t worry Hun; he’s not the worst of them. He just didn’t realize I hired you. He probably just wants to check you out for himself.”

She smiled at me sympathetically, “Go on now, and don’t keep him waiting.”

She gave me a little shove towards the elevator.

KYLE

I couldn’t sit still.

I was so pissed.

Linda was pressing my buttons again.

I told her, time and again that I wasn’t hiring anymore kids.

And what did she do?

Hire a teenager, a fucking teenage girl.

I moved over to the desk and grabbed the envelope with a tasty check I had written out.

It would soften the blow of being let go.

Linda really should have known by now that young girls didn’t work out here.

I thought of the last disaster we had involving a minor member of staff.

I had to pull in some major PR rep to cover up that dung heap of drama.

God dammit, it was so hard to find good staff these days.

There was a small knock on the door.

“Come in,” I called, still facing the window that looked out onto the street.

I hated firing people.

It wasn’t something I enjoyed, or relished doing, but it had to be done.

After Mindy Simmons, and her scandalous affair with a certain guest and politician, I was not going to have another young girl drag the hotel’s name through the gutter.

Hell no, I was never going to be incriminated in that type of farce again.

Fucking women.

I heard the door open and close, but didn’t turn around.

I didn’t want to look at this girl Linda was so obviously fond of, in the eyes. Linda had spoken up for her this Delia kid.

Apparently, the girl was a doing a fantastic job in housekeeping and had yet to make a mistake, but I couldn’t risk it.

“I’m sorry to call you in here like this Delia, but I’m afraid your services will no longer be required.”

I heard sniveling.

Awh damn, I needed a drink.

Making young girls cry was not something I was proud of.

“I have enclosed a severance check for your inconvenience. You’ll find I have been more than generous. I hope it will tie you over until you find employment elsewhere.”

When she didn’t answer I turned to look at the girl, and my breath caught in my throat.

What the hell was she doing here?

“You’re firing me? Did I do something wrong?” she asked, with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Shit, fuck, shit.

“Lee?” I asked, totally confused by her being here, and totally turned on by the way she looked in that uniform.

I walked over to where she was leaning against the closed door.

“I thought your name was Lee?”

She nodded, looking up at me, her pale grey eyes wild with fear.

“It is, I mean it’s what people call me. My full name is Delia. Lee is a nickname that stuck. I prefer it to Delia.”

Irony was a cruel bitch.

“Shit,” I growled harshly, pulling at my tie to loosen it.

How the fuck was this happening to me?

It was hard enough to stay away from her at the house, but now she was in my goddamn office dressed like that.

My eyes narrowed, realization dawning on me.

“Did you know I owned this place? Did Cam tell you? Did you think you’d get a job here, just because you live with the boss?”

I shook her shoulder to make her look at me.

“What the fuck kind of game are you playing? What are you up to? Did some little bird tell you I was a good cash in?”

She flinched away from me.

“I’m not playing any game I swear,” she sobbed, “I didn’t know you worked here until I walked into this room.”

I wasn’t naïve enough to believe her.

I knew women; they trapped men with money, or tried to.

Was that it?

Was that why Lee was here?

Had she watched Rachel do it, and thought she’d jump on the band wagon?

How convenient it was that she appeared at my house out of nowhere, and now in my hotel as well.

I stared at her trying to read the lies in her expression, but only saw the truth in her eyes.

“I don’t play games Kyle, ever.”

She placed her small hand on my forearm, her voice was no more than a whisper.

“Whatever kinds of women you are used to dealing with, they’re not me.”

No, they were definitely nothing like Lee Bennett.

“I’m not sure why you hate me so much,” she whispered, blushing, “But I’m not trying to trick you. And I don’t want your money. I promise.”

Was she serious?

Lee thought I hated her?

She couldn’t be more wrong.

I was obsessed with her.

I was an ass to her because it was the only way to keep her away from me, because I sure as hell couldn’t stay away from her.

I had promised Cam I’d keep my distance, and I took my promises seriously.

Yeah, I had caved a few times but I hadn’t taken her.

Rachel’s reaction had been the rude awakening I needed.

I had to stay away from Lee.

But dammit, she didn’t make it easy on me.

Strutting around the house, flirting with Dixon, and now standing in my office, dressed like that…

“How did I not know this was where you worked? How did I not see you in that?”

I ran my hands over her dress and she shivered.

“I get changed here. Please don’t be mad at me,” she whispered.

I was nearly insane from watching and not touching.

The look of desire in her eyes made me move closer.

Fuck, she wanted me.

I had no doubt about it.

It was obvious from the way her eyes kept flickering, from my eyes to my mouth.