The Desire to Touch (6 page)

“Please come,” the kind voice asks again. I feel him try to move with an arm around me and I don’t resist him but my body is frozen.

I feel another arm come up under my knees and effortlessly I’m being carried away, “Don’t worry you’re safe now.”

Everything is slowly returning back to full speed but it’s all a bit hazy. I can hear Earls voice, “Ellie! What the hell happened to her?”

I’m placed on a chair and inside I’m shouting my body to move but its lifeless, angel and devil girls are frozen in motion. In that instant I can hear the kind voice telling Earl what has happened.

“The fucker’s dead!” Earl shouts and they both run out of the room.

I manage to move my eyes and I slowly regain my movements, I look around to see I’m in the Security Office alone just surrounded by a lot of cctv screens and an old fashioned radio that isn’t picking up much reception - just white noise and occasional words. I shake my head and bring my feet up onto the chair and hold myself, I hope no ones in trouble I am such a dick
, I walked right into that.

Familiar words start echoing in the back of my mind ‘cry it out do not sweep it away, cry it out’. I can’t cry it out, I have to sweep it away, if I start crying I won’t stop. ‘
Right grab hold of yourself woman’
Devil girl whispers, I sit back and straighten up.

I can hear shouting and footsteps coming towards the office.

“You should’ve let me kill that fucker!”

Its Trey - he’s coming back, oh God I hope
he’s ok. They all stand outside the office for a while I can hear the low voices mumbling and murmuring. The radio suddenly kicks in and Savage Garden comes through singing ‘Truly Madly Deeply’, it makes me jump because it’s loud and the three men come running into the office to see what it is. I just stare at the radio, they look at me then the radio.

“Freaky,” says Earl walking over to turn it down. “I’ve been trying to fix that for over a week; I was just about to throw it before you came in.”

Trey walks over and sits down next to me placing his arm around me, there it is again that feeling, he holds me tight and for the first time in a year I feel safe. It’s a strange feeling, I feel almost lifted and lighter. Is this really happening? To me? It can’t be real surely?

I pinch my inner arm and it hurts
. I let out a rush of air through the pain and Trey holds me tighter. Part of me wants to push him away but this overwhelming urge to just sit and embrace his hold wins, I stay and I just sit close to him.

“Has the taxi taken him?” Trey asks

“Yeah he’s gone and I’m ordering his friends to be removed from the hotel too, we don’t want him getting back in.” Earl replies picking up his Walkie Talkie, then he leaves the room.

“It’s ok, he’s gone,” Trey says in my ear, as he leans in I can smell his aftershave and it smells absolutely divine. Devil girl and angel girl are thawing themselves out with hairdryers but devil girl has picked up his scent and is fanning herself.

“I warned her, I said to your friend to not let him get you alone! Why do people never listen?” Trey takes a deep breath and with his free hand pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Your hand!” I can see blood on his knuckles. I grab his hand and reach for a tissue from the box on the desk, I start dabbing, “I’m so sorry.”

“Hey it’s ok, it’s not my blood.”

“That’s what worries me, I do not want you getting into trouble.”

“Trust me, it’ll all be ok,” he grabs my hand and stops me fussing over his. “I know Guy – well I know his type. I heard him bragging to his mates about you and he’d got your number or something, so I went to your friend to warn her.”

He grabs my chin and lifts it up so our eyes meet, as our eyes connect I can see the concern etched on his face, the creases around his beautiful eyes.

“This is not your fault
, do you understand?” he asks

I let out a nervous giggle and he looks c
onfused almost hurt, “I’m sorry. I’m nervous and I’ve never been saved before. Definitely not twice in one day by the same person.”

“Are you sure you’re ok?” he asks again

“I’ve been through worse,” I sigh and move his hand from mine and place it back in his lap. “What did you do to him?”

“You’re cold, you need a drink – come,” Trey stands and takes my right hand to lift me up “Your wrist is bruised, he did hurt you!”

I glance up at my wrist in his hand and notice my bangle has slipped showing the edge of my scar, “No, it’s ok.”

He releases his grip on my wrist and holds his hand out for me to take, I take his hand and I follow as he leads me to the bar.

I can see Earl looking so vexed, talking to the other men Guy was with. I can only assume he’s asking them to vacate the building. As we pass Earl nods at me to ask if I’m ok, I nod back.

Pascal comes rushing up and throws his arms around me, w
ow I was not expecting that, not one little bit.

“Ellie, m
a cherie, are you ok? Earl has just told me and he is not happy! He has told zee men zey have 30 minutes to clear out or security will help, zey all seem to be in shock too. Oh, ma cherie you must have a drink.” He walks me over to a table and sits me down.

“Honestly Pascal I’m fine, had Mr. Thomas not been there then I may not be able to say that.”

Pascal grabs Treys hand and shakes it vigorously, “Merci Monsieur Thomas, you saved our Ellie.”

Trey smiles and meets Pascal’s shake, “Well, I’m a sucker for a damsel in distress.”

“Drinks, come, you must have a drink and I get you food.”

“Pascal I’m really not hun..”

“Ellie, Marie would never forgive me.”

He claps his hands and shouts some orders that get
s the staff moving, luckily the restaurant is nearly deserted.

A waiter rushes over and places two tumblers full of brandy in front of us.

“Can I have a beer please?” I ask before he can run away

“Yeah for me too thanks.” Trey adds.

The waiter nods and retreats, I knock back the brandy and as the warmth hits my throat it makes me shudder and Trey laughs in turn, knocking his back.

“How did you know?” I ask playing with my bangle.

“I’m sorry?”

“How did you know I was there? How did you end up rescuing me for the second time?”

I can barely look at him – ‘Oh come on woman, he’s only human, just square him in the eye and relax!’ I take a deep breath and look him in the eye.

A small smile graces his lips, “As I said, I warned your friend about him because he was acting like such a dick with his friends. Anyway, I was eating with some friends and I saw you leaving and he
was keeping a steady eye on you. After about five minutes he left and I thought he may be following you.” He stops and takes a gulp of his beer that is placed in front of him and I drink mine. “I asked Michael to go and keep an eye on him.”

“Michael?” I ask.

“My bodyguard, well, my friend. He discreetly saw you leave the building for a cigarette.” He raises an eyebrow at me, oh wow, I’m being told off with the disapproving singular eyebrow lift.

Trey continues, “I dealt with some business and found Michael in the lobby, he pointed to where you’d gone and we heard you scream.” He balls up his fist and takes a huge breath, “That fucker is seriously lucky the security guy and Michael stopped me, I would have killed him.”

Okay, now I don’t know whether to be slightly apprehensive of this guy. I look down to the table where my hands are fidgeting, playing with my bangle.

Trey reaches across the table and grabs my hand, “But you’re safe and ok.”

I smile back to reassure him, though I don’t know if I fooled him or not, I certainly didn’t fool myself.

Pascal arrives back with two plates and places them in front of us.

“Nice!” Trey exclaims looking down at the food.

“Pascal honestly this is too much, I ate like an hour ago plus chef would have been cleaning up by now.” I am so embarrassed, I didn’t mean to be such a pain.

“Nonsense Ellie, zee minute I told Chef what had happened, he put zee oven on and shooed me away, he cooked up a treat wizout another word said.”

“Thank you Pascal and thank chef for me.”

Pascal squeezes my shoulder and leaves.

Sitting on the plate in front of me are two mini hamburgers, hand cut fries and a huge bowl of Caesar salad. I’m not sure I can eat it but I have to, it smells too good to let it go to waste. I start to tuck in and I am so un-lady like I literally shovel food in my mouth, the bigger the amount on my fork the better. I glance up at Trey and he too seems to be indulging himself.

We sit in silence and eat, occasionally making noises of agreement. Every now and then our eyes meet and I can’t help but look away nervously. My devil is shouting ‘
he caught you looking
’ my angel has given up and is doing the crossword holding up her hand to say don’t-get-me-involved.

I sneak a peek at him under my lashes and it hits me – He is a movie star and I’m stuffing my face in front of him,
he
saved me twice! I don’t feel like I’m in the company of a star though, he just looks like an amazingly gorgeous man that currently has Caesar salad on his chin. He catches me looking. Shit. A shy smile creeps across his face, so I think, I can’t be mean, I smile and point to my chin and he rolls his eyes at me.

“Sorry,” He chuckles with a mouth full of food, he picks up his napkin and wipes it away. “Gone?”

I nod.

“Sorry, there’s no airs and graces with me,” He grins and continues demolishing the food.

I throw my fork onto the plate with a ‘clink’ I am so full it actually hurts my stomach. I have to readjust my seated position it hurts way too much. I move myself forward so I can slide myself down but before I have any warning the biggest manly belch escapes my mouth.

I throw my hands over my mouth in horror, devil girl is making a noose ready to end the torture and angel girl is in prayer position.

I look up and release my hands from my mouth to utter, “I am so sorry, I didn’t know I was going to…I moved and that must have….I am so sorry.”

Tell you what, I say to myself hanging my head in shame, let
’s go take a nice long walk off a very short pier!

Trey is laughing, “You stole my line.”

For the first time all day I feel properly relaxed and I can feel myself start to let go, just a little bit.

“It’s a sign”

“Of?” I shift in my chair still trying to relieve the pressure in my stomach.

“You’re relaxed.”

“Well I’m just glad I haven’t relaxed myself too much.”

He raises his eyebrow again this time questioning me but the duo are both on bended knee begging me not to say anything about bodily functions – I agree now is not the time.

“Never mind.”

I pick up my drink and finish it off, then signal the waiter for two more. Trey leans forward and as he’s about to speak Brendan’s voice is the only thing that can be heard throughout the restaurant.

“Pascal, is she ok?”

Brendan comes running into the restaurant following Pascal’s lead, “For god’s sake girl you nearly gave me a heart attack!”

He reaches me and lifts me clean off my chair into his secure loving hold and then he glances me over, immediately he then corrects his stance, resuming the professional hotel manager. Brendan then grabs the lapels of his suit jacket and smooth’s himself out.

“I’m ok, honestly.” I sit myself back into my chair, I think he’s more surprised by his emotional outburst then me.

“Ellie, what have I told you about going outside at night alone? We’re not in England now, New York is a big city!”

“Yes I know but I am ok, Trey came and well
, he saved me”

Brendan looks to Trey and grabs his hand to shake.

“Of course Mr. Thomas thank you. I’m so sorry if my niece,” he throws a glance at me, “has got you caught up in any trouble.”

Wait one minute, you’re hugging me and now it’s my fault?

“No, no, she had no idea. I just saw him follow her, she was innocent in all of this.”

“Hmmm,” Brendan turns to me.

I snap, “Check the CCTV Brendan by all means.”

“Ellie, I promised I’d look after you and you’re not making it easy,” Brendan tightens his tie and he then turns to Trey.

“Mr. Thomas your stay here at Valentines will be free of charge,” Looking around he continues, “I am of the understanding there may have been some punches thrown in self-defense.”

“Of course Mr. Jones.”

“We shall deal with any issues in house,” Brendan sighs, “I am going to sort this out with Earl.”

He turns to me, “Do not leave the hotel again tonight!”

Brendan leaves and I hold my beer staring down into it. Get a grip woman you’ve got the most attractive man, who is way out of your league, at your table – stop moping.