“Well I appreciate the compliment, but I've gotta go.”
I brushed past him forcefully but he grabbed my arm. “Are you a prude Alice?” he asked, his voice now turning cruel. His breath carried the stench of alcohol, his eyes dropping and lingering too long on my chest.
“Let me go Tom,” I said, staring at him. “Let me go now or I'll scream.” I thought that was a little bit melodramatic but it seemed to work. He released my arm and put his hands up in the air, stumbling slightly as he stepped backwards.
“OK, have it your way.” He wiped his hands together in front of me and threw them apart before turning and walking heavily towards the door, swaying slightly under the weight of the alcohol in his system.
Yet more proof that he is, in fact, a monumental dickhead.
Chapter 5
I flicked my eyes up to my room as I walked back over the frozen ground to my halls. I could see the light on through the window. I could have sworn that I'd turned it off before I left, I always did.
I continued on into the building and quickened my pace as I entered, the carpet inside giving extra traction to my shoes. The main door shut with a heavy thud that echoed through the halls. It was quiet inside, no surprise for a Saturday night when everyone always seemed to me out doing something.
I headed up the stairs and rounded the corner at the top. I could see my room at the end of the corridor, no light shining through from the other side. My face contorted into a frown as I looked on. I could have sworn I saw the light on inside.
I continued towards it and sent my key into the lock, turning it to the left. It wouldn't turn - it had already been opened. Did I leave the door unlocked as well?
I opened the door slowly, reaching towards the wall with my hand, searching for the lightswitch. I flicked it on and the room was dowsed in a sickly light, I looked around the room, checking to see if anyone was in there, my heart pulsing wildly. Maybe Jenny had come back to get something, and just left the door open when she left?
It wasn't a big room so I quickly saw that there was no one there but me. I immediately returned to the door and locked it shut. After being at that party, and after the way Tom had been, my nerves were pretty much frayed. This was just the straw that broke the camels back.
I breathed deep and steadied my pulse. I felt a little tipsy but nothing more, and it was still only early. A good nights sleep and I'll have no trouble finishing my paper tomorrow. “Good job Alice”, I said to myself, “not only did you manage to eschew the pull of alcohol, but you also managed to say no to the dreamboat that is Tom Weston.” I spoke sarcastically, and chuckled as I did.
I flicked on my lamp and returned to the door to turn the main light off before slipping out of my dress and into my underwear. Without Jen the room was now bare, horribly so, uncomfortably so. It was like it was my first night at college, yet to unpack, yet to deck out my room.
My eyes were heavy as I lay there in bed, just reward for a long day spent at work and a short evening spent at play. It didn't take long for my mind to start going blank, my thoughts sending me tumbling into a dream, one filled with nothing but worry - finish my paper, find a new job. There was nothing else.
......
I slowly woke in the darkness, a light sound of movement in the room bringing my mind straight back into focus.
It was pitch black in there, the night outside dark and brooding, no light penetrating the curtains. I listened intently as my breath was caught in my lungs, my heart threatening to stop. There was someone in my room with me.
I continued to listen as I heard the careful sound of footsteps moving towards the door. I could hear hands feeling for the lock and then a click as the lock opened. Suddenly, the door swung open, sending light crashing into the room from out in the hall.
I saw the silhouette of a man against the light, his tall frame dressed in dark clothing, the top of his head wavy with flowing locks. He twisted his neck to look over his shoulder as he left, and I saw the mask - the V for Vendetta mask from the party - covering his face.
I couldn't see his eyes but knew that he could see mine, lit up by the light, stark fear etched across them. Then, quickly, he stepped from the room and shut the door. I could hear his footsteps rushing off down the hall and onto the carpeted stairs.
I jumped from my bed and opened the curtain, looking down onto the courtyard below as he rushed out of the main door and onto the snow, pacing off as quickly as he could down the side of the building and out of sight.
I collapsed back down onto my bed, my heart uncontrollable in my chest, and lay there shivering. He'd been in my room the whole time, the whole time I'd been sleeping. I turned the light on and looked up, seeing the wardrobe on Jen's side of the room open. That's where he'd been hiding. Who the hell was he?
I tried to sleep but couldn't. How the hell would I be able to sleep after all of that? What the fuck was someone doing hiding in my room? Not to hurt me, otherwise he'd have done that. No, he was looking for something, and I caught him when I got back. He'd turned the light off, hiding in the closet, waiting for me to sleep. When the time was right, he'd sneaked out, creeping towards the door to escape.
I didn't turn the light off that night as I lay there. It was still only just past midnight and the dorm was still quiet, everyone still out partying and enjoying their Saturday night - you know, doing what students do.
Me? I was lying there, paper to finish, job to find, after being frightened half to death by a mystery man in my room, a man I'd already seen earlier that night creeping around a campus party. If I thought my life couldn't get any more fucked up, well, I was wrong.
Chapter 6
I did my best to put the previous night out of my mind as I sat at my desk trying to finish my paper. I hadn't managed to sleep much in the end, perhaps catching a few restless hours before settling back into my work in the early morning.
When Tess came knocking at lunchtime I filled her in on what happened.
“Damn girl, this room needs some love.” That was the first thing she said to me when I opened it up to her at about midday. She hadn't seen it properly since Jen had left.
She was overly chatty, still buoyed by the booze in her blood, talking excitedly about her antics the previous night: it seemed the night had morphed into some sort of monster fetish orgy after I'd left, everyone given some sort of anonymity by the outfits and masks they were wearing. It sounded like something out of Eyes Wide Shut - a sex masquerade party with halloween costumes. Damn was I glad I left when I did.
After she was done with the gory details - that I really didn't want to hear by the way - I told her about the guy with the V mask, the guy who broke into my dorm.
She had no explanation, but reacted just as I'd expect her to. Go the the campus police. Go to the real police. Report it. Do something!
Of course, I knew there was no point to any of that. First off, what the hell could they do? Secondly, would they really care? College hijinks, nothing more, they'd say. I dunno, maybe they were right. Whatever the case, best to put it out of my mind, I had a lot bigger fish to fry.
I told Tess, politely as possible, to piss off, dropping my head back into my books to polish up my paper and pushing everything else from my mind. That's something I'd always been good at - pushing unpleasant thoughts out of my head. Growing up the way I did it was a skill I had needed to learn.
Mid afternoon I heard another knock at the door. “Alice, are you in there?” I recognized the voice from the day before. That warm and smooth voice.
“If you're looking for Jen, Kyle, she's not in I'm afraid,” I shouted from across the room. “I told you already, she's moved out.”
“I'm not here for Jen, I'm here to speak to you.”
I dropped my pen and picked my head up from my books. “Huh? I don't know you.” I spoke. I had no time for nonsense.
“I know that. I wanted to apologize.”
“For what?”
There was a short silence be
fore he spoke again. “Last night.”
A frown inched across my face. “That's OK, Kyle. You only disturbed me for a moment. Instead of apologizing about that, maybe you should leave me alone right now?”
“No, I'm not apologizing about coming here yesterday, well, not during the day at least.”
My heart fell to the floor. It was him, last night. It was him in the mask.
I walked slowly towards the door. “Who are you?” I asked, my words cautious.
“Please, let me in and I'll tell you. I have a proposition for you Alice, something you may be interested in.”
Who the fuck was this guy. He comes looking for Jen, then sneaks back into my room when I'm out later that night dressed like a creepy comic book character, and now he's telling me he's got a proposition for me. I didn't even know him, had never properly met him.
“Erm, I'm not really interested in anything you have to say. You broke into my fucking room last night!”
“OK, OK, I'm sorry for that.” I looked through the peephole as he spoke, his stubble slightly thicker than before, owing to an extra days growth, his blue eyes apologetic, his wavy hair swept back behind his head. He was achingly manly, his chin and jawline cast from stone, his voice so deep and smooth.
“Please Alice, let me apologize, let me explain why I'm here.”
He sounded earnest, sounded genuine. Even though I didn't trust him, my curiosity was spiked too high for me to give this up. In any case, he didn't look to me a man to stop at the first hurdle. I had a feeling that if I didn't hear him out, he'd be coming back anyway.
“Look, I don't feel safe letting you in. I'll meet you down the road at the cafe on the corner in ten minutes.”
“Sounds fair,” he said. “I'll look forward to it.”
I watched as he walked away, turning the corner at the end of the corridor and spinning around to down the stairs. I looked to the mirror by the sink in the corner of the room and shuddered at the sight of me. I looked so pale, so tired, so drained - like one of those ghoulish masks I'd seen people wearing last night.
Yuck!
I don't know why I cared but I did. I quickly applied some light make-up and dragged my most dashing woolen jumper from my closet, pulling on a pair of tight jeans and wrapping a heavy scarf around my neck. OK, here we go.
.......
A few minutes later I was standing outside the cafe looking in through the glass. Inside I could see him - Kyle - casually stirring a large cup. I hesitated briefly before stepping in through the door, the bell clanging lightly as it opened.
He quickly looked up, our eyes meeting properly for the first time, and I stepped forward. He stood quickly as I approached and held out his hand. I extended my own and took it. It was large and strong, but his touch gentle.
“It's nice to meet you officially Alice,” he said, smiling. I struggled to withdraw my gaze from his white teeth, flashing between his dimpled cheeks, his dusty stubble helping to define his jawline. Jesus Christ he was even more beautiful without a door between us. His face held no imperfections, no a blemish, not a thing out of place. His eyes were even bluer than I'd thought, contrasting against his dark hair, his features strong, yet soft.
“And you,” I said on autopilot, forgetting momentarily that this was the guy who'd broken into my room.
“Let me get you a drink,” he said.
I shook my head. “No, I can't stay. I'm just here to find out what you have to say.”
“With an aim to being hasty then, I'll cut right to the chase. Jen worked for me, that's why I was looking for her. She had an obligation to meet, but she failed to do so. I hope that explains my fervor at trying to track her down.”
“I suppose,” I said, nodding. I understood all too well that employers were never that happy when someone failed to turn up to work.
“It was a matter of some sensitivity, so I was instructed to trace her by all means necessary. That is why I broke into your room. I had to be sure you were telling the truth. I had to be sure that she was actually gone. I never expected you to return so soon from the party.”
“Yes, I saw you there, in the V for Vendetta mask.”
He smiled and laughed lightly. “Ah yes, so crude, I know. I was there seeing if I could find her. A long shot, but worth the small effort it took.”
He lowered his eyes slightly, peering directly at me with a more serious tone to his voice. “I hope I didn't frighten you as you woke?”
I laughed gently. “You're kidding, right? Of course you frightened me! I'm not Sigourney-fucking-Weaver.”
“Allow me to make it up to you.” The words came suddenly, as if he didn't expect to say them himself.
I leaned back in my chair. “How?”
“Let me take you to dinner. Let me apologize properly.”
OK, now he must have been kidding! “Dinner? With you? You must think I'm insane.”
A look of hurt washed over his face, quickly hidden once more under his confident visage. “Just an offer,” he said blankly, “no strings attached.”
I pondered it for a moment as I looked at him. Tess had been begging me to date a few guys recently, telling me to lighten up. Yeah, easy for her to say, she didn't have to worry about money like I did. But maybe she was right? Maybe it would make for a nice distraction? But this guy? Really?
“I know nothing about you though. What do you do? What was Jen doing for you?”
“I run a club. She worked for me there.”
Ah, so that explained the late nights.
“Really?” I asked, my interest piqued. “Any work going?” I said casually, jokingly.
His reply came quick. “There is now.”
“Oh, you mean Jen's job? So what exactly did she do? Bar work? Waitressing? I've got plenty of experience with both if that's what you're looking for.”
What the hell was going on! How had I gotten myself into a job interview situation with this guy?! I bit my tongue. My need to find work was overriding all the warning signs that were flaring up in my head.
I could see him sizing me up, my desperation so obvious. “She was in client services. Look, how about that dinner. I'll tell you all about it then?”
Suddenly the idea of dinner sounded a lot more appealing. If it might lead to a job, what could be the harm. Right now I'd take just about anything, at least until I found something better. Plus, it sounded like a night time gig, and that was just what I was looking for. Screw going out and socializing in the evening - my life wasn't that easy. Days for college work, nights for paid work: that's how things had always been.
“Sure,” I said, my guard dropping, “I'll take you up on the offer.”
He smiled once more, wider than before, his blue eyes burning into me. “Perfect,” he said, “tomorrow night, 8 PM.” It didn't sound like a question or option, but an order.
“That works,” I said nodding.
“Great, I'll come to your room, again,” he said, a playful slant to his words. “One more thing before I go. What's your surname?”
“Newton, it's Alice Newton.”
“Great to meet you Miss Newton. I'm Kyle, Kyle Logan.”
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More by L.A.Shorter
Other Series by L.A.Shorter:
Always for You Series
:
Only For You (Book 1)
Fight For You (Book 2)
Kill For You (Book 3)
Books 1-3
Across the Pond Trilogy:
Sunrise in Bali (Book 1)
Summer of Love (Book 2)
Across the Pond (Book 3)
Across the Pond Trilogy (Books 1 - 3)
Table of Contents
CRASH (A Logan Brothers Novel)
Table of Contents
Copyright Notice
Prologue - Elle
Chapter 1 - Elle
Chapter 2 - Elle
Chapter 3 - Crash
Chapter 4 - Elle
Chapter 5 - Crash
Chapter 6 - Elle
Chapter 7 - Crash
Chapter 8 - Elle
Chapter 9 - Crash
Chapter 10 - Elle
Chapter 11 - Crash
Chapter 12 - Elle
Chapter 13 - Crash
Chapter 14 - Elle
Chapter 15 - Crash
Chapter 16 - Elle
Chapter 17 - Crash
Chapter 18 - Elle
Chapter 19 - Crash
Chapter 20 - Elle
Chapter 21 - Crash
Chapter 22 - Elle
Chapter 23 - Crash
Chapter 24 - Elle
Chapter 25 - Crash
Chapter 26 - Elle
Chapter 27 - Crash
Chapter 28 - Elle
Chapter 29 - Crash
Chapter 30 - Elle
Chapter 31 - Crash
Chapter 32 - Elle
Chapter 33 - Crash
Chapter 34 - Elle
Epilogue
Exposure - Kyle and Alice
Exposure Sample - First 6 Chapters!
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CRASH (A Logan Brothers Novel) Page 20
