Fragile Truths (6 page)

“No,” I argued for the second time. “I just… it, it’s not working, Gray. Come on, you can’t tell me you haven’t felt the slow spiral pulling us down?”

His grip on my face tightened a little, his thumbs now digging slightly into my cheeks but I remained still and waited for his shock to subside. His eyes stormed over my face, his pupils wide and chaotic, making me think there was more in his system than the coffee he’d brought to the office this morning – much to my chagrin after I’d told him I would be working alone. “Fran, listen…” He backed off and screwed his eyes shut for a moment as he physically calmed himself and released the tension in his fists. “I… yes, maybe I agree with you and yes, I…
we’ve
been a little… distant but I’m sure, no I’m positive we can work through it.”

I sighed wearily. This wasn’t going how I had expected it would. I really thought he was having doubts about our relationship too. He’d been moody, drinking heavily and I’d had the sneaky suspicion he was using some other substance than alcohol to get himself through the day, but I really thought he wasn’t as into us as we’d been pretending to be.

“Gray, please don’t make this any harder for us than it has to be. I don’t see us going anywhere. I…” I swallowed the lump and looked at him sombrely, “I don’t love you, Gray. I’m sorry.”

He came at me again, this time his hands grasping almost desperately at my upper arms, his fingers sinking into my flesh harshly, “That’s fine, Fran. You don’t have to love me, who has love in their marriage nowadays?”

My mouth snapped open as I stared at him in shock, his words stunning me into rearing back and staring open mouthed at him, “What the hell, Gray?”

He shrugged, his fingers now starting to stab at me, “Yeah, so what. Fuck love, fuck all the romance shit. You’ve never been into the hearts and flowers crap anyway Fran, we can just stay together and…”

“Fuck?” I offered with a scoff when he paused to think, after all what else was there if not romance?

He scowled at me, his eyes still an angry hurricane of emotion and fury, “No, fuck, did we ever fuck anyway? You’ve never been really assertive in the bedroom anyway.”

Oh okay, knock me while I’m down you arsehole!

I dropped my gaze to the floor as I tried to process what the hell he was trying to say but he answered my question before I’d had the chance to figure it out. “Fran, we work together, we can kind of be friends, you know. Friends in relationships are better than just sexual partners anyway. I know I don’t do it for you in that aspect and you don’t do it for me, so…” he broke off and wobbled his head slightly, “Yeah, friends.”

Jesus Christ!

“Gray,” I spoke slowly as I tried to break through his thick skull, “I honestly think you should leave now before you insult me any further.” He frowned and grabbed at my skin again, “Bloody hell, will you let go, you’re hurting me now!”

His eyes darkened as a deep red blush rose up his neck. I was getting anxious as I watched him turn furious, the deep vein he had on his temple now throbbing with his ire. “NO! I’m not leaving until you tell me you’ve changed your mind!”

He was practically shouting now, yelling even, and I gave a huge sigh of relief when Mr Roberts opened the door and stepped inside. “What the hell is going on in here?”

Gray jumped back instantly, turning his back on both of us so he could regain some composure, “Just a disagreement, sir.”

“About work,” Mr Roberts asked as he narrowed his eyes on me in question, “Or personal?”

“Personal sir, but we’re okay, Gray was just leaving, weren’t you Gray.”

He scoffed and shook his head angrily then snatched his jacket from the back of the chair and stormed out, his heavy footfalls echoing all the way down the corridor until he disappeared into the elevator.

“You okay, Fran?” Mr Roberts softly asked as he tipped his head and scanned my body, a grimace emerging when he spotted the bruising to my upper arms.

“I’m fine,” I said then blew out a steadying breath and slumped into my chair when my legs wobbled. My boss perched his bum on the edge of my desk and sighed, his expression one that meant he wanted to say something but was having difficulty finding the words.

“Fran,” he began as he dropped his eyes to the floor and averted his eyes. “Just…”

“Sir?” I prompted when he hesitated.

“Just be careful.” He looked at me with a worried glance, “There’s something about Grayson that… that’s not quite right. He’s been pestering me about the Knight case, wanting to know where you have the evidence memory stick hidden.”

I sucked in my lips as my throat dried and alarm bells started to ring. “Yeah, he’s been pressuring me too. What did you tell him?”

“The truth,” he shrugged, “That I don’t know; nobody does but you.”

I nodded and smiled. “I can’t understand his relentless interference regarding it.”

He nodded but then blinked at me. “I may be out of turn here, Fran but are you…” He turned back to the door, shutting it softly before coming back to the desk and resting on it nearer to me, “Are you aware of Grayson’s gambling addiction?”

“What?”

“I guess not with that reaction. I’m friends with Peter Thornberry who owns a couple of the casino’s in the city centre. He’s in there more often than not, drunk and off his face on something other than alcohol.” He sucked air through his teeth noisily, his bushy grey moustache appearing to slither with the action, “You get what I’m trying to say, Fran?”

I nodded, my head spinning with both Mr Roberts revelation and things starting to click into place in my head. “Yes, I’m afraid so.”

He nodded in acknowledgement, “Any idea what you’re going to do?”

I lifted my eyes and sighed heavily, “Well, right now, I’m going to get drunk… very drunk and if I’m lucky, get laid.”

Tate

I washed another three codeine down with the remaining whisky in my glass and stared at the twat in front of me as he continued to drone on about how much I needed him in my life and business. I nodded in a few random places, just to make him believe I was actually listening, as well as agreeing with him.

Was he for fucking real?

“…and the cunt would have gone for Barnes if I hadn’t shot him, Mr Nardini. Now I know you wouldn’t have wanted that, so I did you a favour really. I think, understandably that maybe deserves a reward or at the very least a promotion… you know, just maybe something a little grander in the firm or some shit like that.”

I nodded again as I ran my finger along my bottom lip as if contemplating his request, “Yeah Evan, some shit like that. I think maybe some
compensation
is in order.”

His greedy little eyes glinted and I turned my gaze to the screens on the wall before I leapt across the desk and ripped his repulsive ugly face in half. It was another busy night, most of the people tonight queuing in the long line to sample the new high end karaoke DJ Ben had hired, Blaze, or some similar ludicrous name, but credit where it’s due, he was good. Tony was refusing entry yet again and the knowledge made me smile, business was good, no, business was fucking great and I was pleased with the return
Vibe
was giving me, the monetary side of it an easy way to distribute the counterfeit twenties I was manufacturing.

“So,” Evan persisted. “What are we talking about, money or a position?”

I looked beyond him at Ben. He quirked an eyebrow at me and I nodded as I blew out a long-suffering sigh. “Ben will sort you out.”

He grinned but I turned my head and studied the screens again as I heard Ben snap Evan’s neck. I needed to get laid, or pissed or better still, both. My head was pounding, my body was tired and my mother was grinding me down little by little.

Ben mumbled something I didn’t quite catch as my attention was brought to an argument going on at the front doors. Two women were arguing with Tank who was shaking his head and smirking as one of the women, obviously drunk, tried to bribe him for entry with a flutter of her eyelashes and a sly reposition of her dress, producing a little more of her cleavage. However, it was the other woman that I couldn’t take my eyes from, her long blonde hair was rippling in the breeze and her eyes closed at half-mast as a bloke behind her held her upright in her inebriated condition.

I picked up my radio and cleared my dry throat, attempting to remove the lump that had formed in it. “Let ‘em in, Tank.” I ordered as my eyes remained on her through the camera lens.

I saw him press his finger against his earpiece then move aside to let the party in. The brunette giggled and gave a swift kiss to Tank’s cheek before she turned and gestured for the blonde to follow her, closely shadowed by the fuckwad that was still holding her up with an arm around her waist. I wanted to snap each of the fingers that touched her as well as burn his fucking retinas for looking at her like he wanted to devour her.

I tracked their entry on each of the small screens, watching the graceful, if a little wobbly, glide she walked with, the thin fabric of her dress swaying against her slim hips  as she made her way to the main floor.

“I’ll be on the floor” I said as I quickly stood and made my way across the office, my gaze now scanning the huge one way window that looked out onto the dance floor.

“I’ll sort Evan then” Ben sighed.

“Yep.”

***

I’d watched her for over two hours, never removing my eyes from her as I sat at the bar. She’d glanced at me several times, once or twice letting her eyes roam my body with a hungry gaze or letting them remain for a moment too long on my own.

Fuck, she was so beautiful; her long golden waves tumbling against her back as she danced. Her slight hips rocked sensually as her amazing backside taunted me and her small but firm breasts mocking me as they pressed against the tight material of her dress. Her eyes, even though hazed with her drunkenness, were utterly exquisite, the silver flecks in them sparkling like stars in the dark sky but it was her smile that nearly brought me to my knees; her whole face lighting up prettily every time she laughed.

I was pissed with my dick. I’d never been so hard, my balls tight and painful as I observed the way she moved. I closed my eyes and rubbed at my temples as I angrily tried to control my hunger for her. I couldn’t and wouldn’t allow myself to give her what she was so desperately looking for tonight.

She surprised me; I knew she was engaged to the blonde sad bastard. When I was notified of their engagement, a fury like never before had blazed through me, and its potency had scared me. He wasn’t right for her, even I knew that. The way she looked at him with no glow or want in her eyes made it clear that she didn’t love him, so when she had accepted his proposal, it came as a huge shock. At the time, I’d wondered if she was pregnant but then I’d had to break something at the thought of him being inside her.

Opening my eyes, I found she’d made her way across the dance floor with her friend, Fuckwad still following her like a needy fucking puppy. I could read the longing on his face, his eyes glinting and a wicked smirk on his ugly fucking mouth as he watched Frankie’s arse swing when she walked in front of him. My fists clenched and my heart banged against my chest. Pulling out my phone I dialled Ken.

“Boss,” he answered after the first ring.

“Tall guy, ugly fucking bastard; white shirt, blue jeans, walking across the dance floor with an arrogant swag.” I set my gaze on him so Ken could see who I meant from his position across the room.

“Yep, got him,” he acknowledged with a nod of his head as he turned his eyes to me.

“Get rid of him.”

“Boss.”

I watched as Ken moved fluently across the floor and took hold of Fuckwad’s arm, pulling him none too gently over towards the doors with ease.

Frankie hadn’t even noticed he’d gone missing as her and her friend picked out a song on the karaoke. They both giggled, my dick hardening further as Frankie bent to peer at the screen and gave me a glimpse of her black lacy bra as her dress fell away from her chest.

Her friend smirked and elbowed her before they both pressed a button and picked up the mics. I groaned as
Rihanna’s, ‘S&M’
started over the din in the room.

My throat jumped and my stomach clenched as Frankie lifted her eyes and fixed them on mine. Her chest heaved as darkness overcame her with each word she sang.

‘Feels so good being bad, Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
There's no way I'm turning back, Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Now the pain is my pleasure 'cause nothing could measure, Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.’
      She was eating me alive with her eyes and her words. The way she sang was soft but so full of sin that I was soon picturing myself ripping the mic away from her mouth and replacing it with my tongue. My breathing sped up as she haunted me, her long lashes sweeping across her cheeks occasionally when she gave a slow blink at me, her seduction working and heating my blood so much I felt like I was internally on fire.

‘Love is great, love is fine, Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Out the box, outta line, Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
The affliction of the feeling leaves me wanting more, Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.’
   Her hands slowly moved down the side of her body as she sang, her fingers curling smoothly over her stomach as she encompassed the slight roundness then made her way upwards and slowly over her breasts. My eyes glued to each of her movements, my chest restricting tightly, my teeth gnawing at my lips as I became aware of how much she wanted me.

This was not good.

'Cause I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it,
Sex in the air, I don't care, I love the smell of it,
Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but chains and whips excite me.’
     I was starting to tremble as I fought with myself over her. Fuck I wanted her; I needed her with a starvation and craving I had never felt before. Her body called out to me, its sensuality taunting and provocative as she continued her flirtatious show; except it wasn’t a show, it was real, very fucking real.