I look at myself in the mirror above the sink and take a deep breath before making my way out of the room.
I return to the bedroom to find my phone buzzing.
It’s Gwen.
“Hayley, what the hell is going on? Where are you? Your dad’s been calling non-stop, he’s worried sick. He said something about some guy at the casino, is it the same guy from the other day? He told me to tell you he’s sorry and to come home and that you were right and that he should’ve listened to you.” She doesn’t pause to take a breath.
“Morning to you too.”
“Well?” she asks.
“Look, it’s complicated…”
“Spill.”
“It’s a long story. Just trust me okay, I’ll tell you everything, I promise, just not now.”
She sighs. “I’m just worried, having your best friend’s dad phone you late at night is a little scary. You should call him.”
“I don’t want to talk to him right now. Look, I’ve got to go, I’ll talk to you soon I promise. Love you.”
“Just, be safe, please. I love ya, babe.” She ends the call with a kiss before hanging up.
My missed calls from pretty much everyone has doubled since last night. I know I should call my dad, but my feelings haven’t changed, he still sold me out, made a deal with the devil, putting us both in a situation that we wouldn’t have been in if he hadn’t have been so selfish and greedy.
I pad across the penthouse, it’s beautiful, I never got the chance to admire it last night. The suite is easily twice the size of the ground floor of my house, the décor modern and stylish dressed almost entirely in grey and white. A huge floor to ceiling window which stretches almost the entire width of the room overlooks the New York skyline, it’s beautiful. In front of the window sits the couch and a large coffee table, placed in front a beautiful fireplace that commands the entire room.
Off to the right in a huge open plan kitchen, with an island and breakfast bar, where I find Kyle, sat at the bar with his back to me, in front of his laptop, taking to someone on his phone.
I slow my pace, expecting that his conversation is private. He must hear me approach as he turns to see me standing awkwardly a few meters away. To my surprise, he smiles. He tips his head, motioning to me to come and join him. I slowly make my way to him and sit down opposite.
“No, that won’t be necessary, I leave the company in your hands, you’re the only one I trust to look after everything.” While he speaks into his phone, his eyes never leave mine.
He laughs. “Luke, you’re not going to fuck it up. If I thought for even a second that you would, do you really think I would be leaving my company in your care?” I can hear the faint hum of a voice on the other end of the phone. “If you need me, call me, okay? Yeah you too, brother. Bye.” Kyle hangs up, places his phone on the table, shuts his computer and turns to me. “Good Morning,” he says politely.
“Morning,” I reply, offering a shy smile.
“Sleep well?”
“I guess, you?” I ask. He had a nightmare, what do you think?
He hesitates. “I slept alright.”
I nod sheepishly.
“Are you alright after yesterday, in the alley, how’s your neck?”
Bile rising up in my throat at the thought of them, I can still feel their hands groping roughly at my body. I touch my neck, rubbing the sore red skin that his brutal touch left behind. “Still sore, but I’m okay.”
He sighs, his fists clenching. “I apologise about last night, well, this morning, when you found me.”
“It’s fine, you didn’t want to talk about it, I understand.”
He shakes his head. “It’s not something I like to talk about, but I shouldn’t have been so harsh with you.”
“It’s okay.”
He leans forward towards me, resting his elbows on the table. “I understand why you must hate me. Just give me a day. That’s all I ask, just a day, to show you that I’m not a total jerk.”
I chew the inside of my lip.
I shouldn’t trust him, but he saved me, he protected me.
“A day,” I agree. His face softens. “But first I have to go home, I need to change, grab some stuff.”
“I can take you if you want?” he offers.
I shake my head. “No. That’s a bad idea, my dad hates you as it is.”
“I’ll wait in the car,” he persists.
Figuring he won’t take no for an answer, I agree.
We leave the suite and hop into the elevator, standing side by side. I glance down and see his hand is purple and bruised from yesterday.
“How’s your hand?” I ask.
He follows my gaze down to his battered hand. “Fine. I’ve had worse, trust me.”
“No doubt.” The way I say it comes out is harsher than I intended. “Shit. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“It’s fine, I probably deserve it.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Rather than go about it the way you did, if you wanted to get closer to me, couldn’t you have just… I don’t know, asked me out on a date, like a normal person?”
He chuckles. “Maybe, it's just not my style.”
“Not you’re style?” I let out a small laugh, crossing my arms over my chest. “No, I guess your style is using your
