Break My Fall (Broken)

by Chloe Walsh

  My phone buzzed on my desk, alerting me to an incoming call; Rachel. “Hey.” I said flatly. “I need three hundred.” Christ that girl went through money like it was going out of fashion. “I’ll have it transferred into your account by lunchtime.” I hoped that that was all she wanted. I needed a Rachel free day. “No need, I’m in the lobby. You can give it to me now.” Fuck my life. “I’m on my way.” I hung up and walked over to the bar in the corner of my office. Times like these were the reason Jack and I were such good pals. I poured myself a large glass of whiskey and chugged it back, before pouring another. If I needed a reminder of how devious women really were then I need look no further than the redhead waiting on me. It would serve me well to remember that. Women were only after one thing, and it sure as hell wasn’t love.

  LEE

  I loved pizza. It was amazing. I tucked into my third slice of margarita as I listened to Derek and Cam chattering. Derek looked at me like I was crazy, when I told him it was my first time having pizza. Cam had changed the subject knowingly. They actually were quite comical together. I guessed Derek had more to do with it than Cam. He was a funny person “So how’s the job going Lee?” I smiled at his question, “It’s going great, I really like it.” Derek nodded, and took another sip of his beer. “Where’d you say it was again?” I swallowed the piece of cheesy bread before answering, “The Henderson Hotel, just off 11th street, do you know the place?” Derek eyes bulged and Cam nudged him in the ribs. “What?” I asked warily. “Nothing, nothing,” Derek said, a little too eagerly for my liking, “I’m just surprised you’re working there. I heard the owner has some issues with hiring young people.” He directed the last bit towards Cam, who was shooting daggers at him. “Okay, what’s going on guys?” I asked. They were freaking me out. First Linda, and now Cam and Derek. Was there something weird about the owner? “Nothing at all babe,” Cam said smiling, “Derek here just doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut. Do you Derek?” He smiled bashfully at Cam and I got up from the couch, “Keep his mouth shut about what?” Neither answered me. I got the feeling I was missing something.

  KYLE

  “Do you want to do something today? I heard there’s a good band playing in The Avenue later?” I shook my head as I zipped up my pants. I had a killer headache and that skin crawling morning after itch to get her out of my house.

  “I can’t Candice. I have plans.” She pouted, and sat up on my bed, twisting her black hair around her fingers. I picked her dress up off the floor and tossed it to her. “I’m Gemma,” she snapped. “Good for you.” How the fuck was I supposed to remember her name. I’d been wasted last night, and she had been more interested in sucking my dick than having a conversation, which was fine by me. She was willing and I needed the release. That might make me an asshole but it was either fuck her or burst into the room next to mine, and take my frustrations out on the tiny brunette who put them there.

  “Yeah, I’m going need you to take off Gemma. I’ve a lot on today.” I pulled my shirt on and bent down to tie my shoelaces. I noticed her lace thong under my bed and cringed. “What the fuck Kyle,” she growled, jumping off the bed and moving towards me. She stood in front of me butt naked with her hands on her hips. In the cool light of day, she wasn’t as hot as I had thought last night at the bar. Jesus Christ, why did every woman think it was sexy to see hipbones and ribs. It was about as sexy as fucking a skeleton. “I thought last night meant more than sex.” Where did she get that from? It never meant more than sex. I walked over to the door; “It was great sex” I lied. Truth be told I couldn’t remember fucking her, but she smiled, appeased, so I continued, “That that’s all it was. I’ll let you get dressed.” I closed out the door before she could reply. I was a fucking douche to sleep with her. I knew the clingy ones by now. How had I missed the signs?

  Cam, Lee and Derek were all in the kitchen when I walked in. I went straight over to the drawer where I kept the painkillers. “Good morning sunshine,” Derek said with a stupid smug grin on his face. “What’s good about it?” I replied as I popped two Advil from the packet and poured a glass of water. “Rough night last night was it?” Cam asked. I nodded, forcing the pills down, “You could say that.” I slumped against the counter, as Cam and Derek continued whatever they were talking about before I came in. “Sleep well?” I asked Lee, who was sitting quietly at the table. She shifted her gaze to me. “No not really,” she mumbled. I unconsciously moved towards her. I couldn’t help myself.

  “Oh yeah, why’s that?” I asked I eased into the chair across from hers. Looking at her closer, I could see the dark shadows under her eyes. “I didn’t get much sleep.” I felt a strange swell of concern for her, “Why not? Are you okay?” Was Lee not sleeping well every night? Was she finding it hard to settle in here? She had only been here a week, maybe she was homesick. Was she going to leave? All these niggling doubts and worries started to build in my chest. Fuck, what was that about? Lee blushed, and ducked her head, so I couldn’t see those big grey eyes of hers. It was just as well because her rosy plump lips were calling to me. I shifted in my chair. “No, I’m fine,” she assured me. I relaxed, “It’s just…,” she looked up at me. She dragged her lower lip into her mouth, “You’re kind of loud.” Her voice barely more than a whisper. Loud? What was she talking about? “I’m gonna take off Kyle,” a voice from behind me said.

  I turned around, just as Gemma welded her mouth to mine. I tensed, understanding the meaning of Lee’s words. Fuck. She’d been awake all night from the sounds of me having sex. How many nights had that happened? Fuck, I’d brought three girls back this week alone. I’d had to. Lee was tempting the shit out of me. A man had only so much will power. Gemma stuck her tongue down my throat and I felt like gagging. I heard the sound of a chair scraping and pulled my face away. Lee was leaving. I moved to go after her but stopped myself. This was the way it had to be, it was better in the long run. She needed to hate me.

  LEE

  I settled into a comfortable living routine at the house. On weekdays, I got up, went to work, came home and went to bed. On weekends, I did pretty much the same thing, except I replaced work with hanging out with Cam, and more often than not Derek joined us. We took turns with the cleaning and cooking dinner, with Derek usually ending up taking over the kitchen, and smothering out whoever’s turn it was to cook. He was working in a kitchen for the summer, and had decided he was the new Gordon Ramsey. He was the best cook out of the four of us though, so I didn’t tease him about it. The man made a mean spaghetti bolognaise. I had even started to enjoy Derek’s witty retorts and jokes and Cam was fun to live with. We had fallen back into our old friendship easily. But Kyle was a jerk.

  The man flaunted himself around the place like king of the hill, prancing around the kitchen in his just his jeans, or worse his boxer shorts. I dutifully ignored him every time he was around. Cam said Kyle’s job required him to travel a lot, which explained the hours of the day and night he showed up at the house. However, when he was here he was distracting and a smart-mouth and the boy had no modesty, so much for the truce… He also had no filter on his tongue. He had a real bad potty mouth. I decided he was tormenting me on purpose. He had to be doing it on purpose. If he wasn’t banging on the bathroom door when I was showering, hollering at me to hurry up, he was blocking my way to the kettle giving me one his ‘you want it come and get it looks’. I had gone without coffee most mornings this week, because avoiding Kyle’s half-naked body was much safer than pressing past him. He would love that, to know that he was getting to me.

  The sad fact of the matter was that he was getting to me, in a big way. I had to pull my thoughts out of the gutter whenever I saw him in his boxer shorts. Never in a million years would I have dreamt he had a job that required a suit and tie. It just didn’t seem like the usual attire one wore for a college summer job. He looked beautiful in a suit, but there was the element of a caged animal when he wore one. I had thought up a dozen different potential jobs he might do, all
of which involved physical work. He didn’t have the body of a man stuck in an office. He had the hard toned build of an athlete. He was all broad shoulders, ribbed muscles, narrow hips.

  Another thing I realised about Kyle was that he was guarded. He chatted openly about mundane things like college and his parties and I’d learned he was finishing his degree in Business Management in the fall. But he clammed the minute anything more personal was brought up. I didn’t understand why, but was too intimidated by him to ask. He had started showing up at the hotel. There was a restaurant on the ground floor and in the past three weeks, I had seen him in there no less than three occasions on my lunch break. Thankfully, he hadn’t noticed me. I always managed to hide behind the pillar in the lobby before he saw me. He was usually having lunch with Rachel, which also made it easier for me to escape unnoticed. I had started to skip eating in the restaurant and sat outside in the beer garden, rather than face the obnoxious jerk and his evil companion. It drove me crazy that he ate at the hotel. There were dozens of places he could go to eat, but no he had to choose the building I worked in.

  On a positive note, I had actually made a couple of friends at work, Linda being one. She was fabulous and hilarious at times. She’d showed me the ropes in work and had a fantastic sense of humour. She certainly didn’t behave like a woman in her fifties. I also liked talking with Mike. He was one of the bartenders and only a few years older than I was. We had met him briefly on my first day, and I had bumped into him again in the beer garden the first day I snuck out there. He had invited me to sit with him. I figured it would be rude to say no so I sat with Mike. He had been witty and down to earth. I had actually found him easy to talk with. The next day I went to beer garden, Mike had brought an extra sandwich for me, and we fell into to a comfortable lunch pattern. He always seemed to get his break the time as I did, so we ate together. It was real nice to be friends with a man and not worry about him blowing hot and cold. That was the way it felt being around Mike, real easy. He didn’t flirt or make me feel uncomfortable. He was just plain nice. Mike was attractive in an all-American wholesome kind of way. He was all blonde hair, brown eyes and sun tanned skin, but he didn’t hold an ounce of the raw sexual magnetism Kyle did. Where Mike was cute, Kyle was mind-blowingly attractive.

  I decided it was something to do with the way Kyle moved. He didn’t just walk, he prowled like a wild animal, cool and confident but full of raw strength and vibrating intensity. There was a hint of danger to him. He was just so uh…There were no words in my vocabulary extensive enough to describe him. He was rude, and obnoxious and breathtakingly beautiful. He seemed to get a real thrill out of bating me. And he kept calling me that stupid nickname. God he was so infuriating. I hated that I was so attracted to him. It was purely a physical attraction though; it couldn’t be any more than that, not when he was so mean to me. The fluttering in my chest when he was near was just biology. He was beautiful and any girl would feel the same when he spoke, or smiled or laughed…

  After many sleepless nights thinking about him, I had decided put my attraction towards Kyle Carter down to two things. The first being the fact that he was my first consensual kiss, and the second; I was not the only woman to feel like this. Kyle had plenty admirers. Women swooned over him. I saw enough of his admirers coming out of his bedroom in the mornings, Rachel being one of the most frequent visitors. Though it was clear they were not exclusive, there was definitely something strange going on with them.

  I watched them when they were together, and it was…odd. Apart from the fact that Kyle didn’t seem to like her, when Rachel said jump, he said how high. He did everything she told him, and it really irked me. He was a jerk to me but it didn’t stop me hating the way she spoke to him. It was degrading.

  KYLE

  “Close your mouth dude, you’re drooling.” I looked away from Lee’s ass to see Derek grinning at me. “Screw you,” I muttered, lowering my head. I couldn’t help staring at her; I didn’t think any man could. She was distracting to say the least. “No I’d say screw Lee, but you’re not allowed.” He was loving this. Bastard. “What was that guys?” Lee stood up from where she was bending in the fridge, and looked over at us.

  “Oh Kyle here was just enjoying the view,” Derek said grinning. I kicked him under the table. What the fuck was this, the sixth grade? “It’s a beautiful day after all,” he added pointing towards the kitchen window. Smooth, “Nice one asshole,” I muttered, just for his ears, as I kicked him again. “Dude, quit it,” he moaned. “Yeah it’s a beautiful morning,” Lee agreed, completely oblivious to the true meaning of Derek’s words. Thank god. “So what are your plans for the day? Any hot date lined up tonight?” God he was sadistic, fucking torture me some more. “Hardly,” Lee muttered, and I breathed easy again. I didn’t realise I’d been holding my breath waiting for her answer.

  “Really, why not? It’s Friday, you should be going out and having some fun. I can’t believe a guy hasn’t asked out yet?” I was going to kick his ass, and enjoy doing it. Lee blushed and poured some milk into her cup, “Well you should,” she said quietly, “No one has.”

  “I could hook you up with on my friends. They all think you’re hot, especially Dixon.” Lee spluttered her coffee, as she looked at me briefly before focussing on Derek, “I’m not sure.” He was baiting me out. It was working. “Ow dude what the hell?” Derek cried, pushing back his chair. “Oh sorry man, did I step on your foot?” I stood up and walked over to where Lee was standing. I purposefully leaned too close to her to get a cup from the press. She shivered when my chest rubbed against hers, and my ego swelled. Yeah fuck Dixon, she was aware of me.

  “Do you want to go out with Dixon princess?” I stared straight at her and she shook her head eagerly. “Hear that Derek? She doesn’t want to date any of your asshole friends. Leave her alone.” I had to leave then, getting too close to her was dangerous.

  LEE

  I made my way down the stairway at the back of the hotel. It eventually led to a private doorway out to the beer garden. It was a much longer route than taking the elevator and cutting through the restaurant but it was much safer than potentially facing Rachel in the restaurant or Kyle. Work was going well. Linda gave me as many shifts as I wanted, and Mike was the just the sweetest person. I was looking forward to my lunch hour so I could listen to him regale me with all the gossip on the ground floor.

  “Hey, you made it.” Mike smiled from the picnic bench where he was sitting. “Hey, sorry I’m late.” I sat on the opposite side of the bench. Mike proceeded to hand me a passed me a plastic covered sandwich and a soda. “It’s just cold cuts of beef today I’m afraid. We’re all out of tuna.” I smiled gratefully, “Thanks Mike, beef is great.” He grinned, nodding, “Oh good, I wasn’t sure if you were one of those vegetarian girls. You always have fish in you sandwiches.” I snorted, “You’re the one who makes my sandwiches remember? I’m not fussy about my food. But truth be told I’m a red meat kind of girl.”

  We slipped into easy conversation and I actually snorted soda from my nose when Mike told me about the last big drama at the hotel. “No way. Are you for real?” I asked, through laughs as I patted my napkin to my face. “True story,” Mike chuckled. “Mindy was in housekeeping, and I guess you could say she got a little too up close and personal cleaning his uh, family jewels.” I gasped. “Isn’t he the guy in Washington? A senator of something?” Mike chuckled, “Not anymore. Their affair was leaked to the media. You wouldn’t believe the amount of journalists and pap’s around here at the time. It was huge news, a public figure having it off with the underage housekeeper. The boss was furious.” He paused, frowning, “I’m actually surprised he hired you. After the drama with Mindy, he doesn’t hire young girls. There was too much of a backlash for the hotel from the media, not to mention Mindy’s parents.” I took another swig of my soda, while I thought about what Mike said. I guessed that what Derek had been suggesting a few weeks back when he asked me where I worked. “What’s he like?
Our boss I mean. Have you met him?” A vein twitched in the Mike’s neck. He seemed to ponder my question. “Yeah I’ve met him,” Mike said flatly. When he noticed my worried look, he smiled. “When he’s here, he’s a good boss. He’s usually jetting off around the country to the other hotels Most of the staff seem to like him. Linda is the one who really runs the place. ” I could hear the undertone in his words. “Most of the staff?” Kyle chuckled, “You don’t miss much, do you?” He ran a hand across his forehead. “Let’s just say he and I have some personal issues, and leave it at that.” I nodded, “Okay, so are you doing much for the weekend?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

  Mike smiled and delved into all his plans for the upcoming weekend. I tried to appear interested, but my mind kept drifting back to what he had said. “He and I have some personal issues.” I wondered what they were.

  KYLE

  She was on her own. He door was cracked and she was lying on her bed reading. I knew I should not go in, Cam would have my balls for it. I never had much will power though, and she zapped it to shit. “Whatcha reading?” I said as I tapped on the doorframe. Lee scrambled up to a sitting position, pulling a set of earplugs from her ears. Her cheeks were glowing red, her curls a loose tangled mess. She was fucking stunning.

  “I’m sorry, did you call me for something?” She looked so innocent, I couldn’t stop myself; I walked over to the bed and sat down. “I asked you what you’re reading,” I said, picking up the book Lee had dropped on the bed. I skimmed a page, and holy fuck, “You’re reading porn?” Lee blushed and pulled the book out of my hands. “It’s a romance novel.”