Running In Heels

It was the last thing he heard before the line went dead. He'd never heard her scream before. It cut through him unlike anything he'd ever heard, all of it had. There'd been some kind of scuffle, another voice, a male voice, interrupting their already strained conversation. Suddenly his fiancée's voice had become full of panic and not just filled with the fear which had already been evident within her tone. Then that chilling moment had come. That moment where she'd shouted out to him as though he, at the other of the phone, could save her from the hands of another man. 'Carla?' He'd quickly called back, his voice raised as though it would make a difference. It hadn't. As Nick looked down at the phone's screen it only served to confirm what he already knew. The call had been disconnected.

Carla's last words played over in Nick's mind as he caught his bearings to begin his search for her. Had his beautiful fiancée cheated on him? He felt sick. As soon as Carla had hesitantly admitted to having been outside a hotel his heart had sunk. He knew the place and, whilst he'd attempted to deny it, in his heart he knew that Carla was only there with one thing in mind. This was not a luxury hotel with a spa where Carla may have indulged in an afternoon of relaxation alone, away from the world and the confusion it always brought to her door. The hotel, barely a few metres from the casino which had presumably become her second home once again, was everything that she was not. It was cheap and cheerful with only one thing in it's favour. It was convenient. There was only one reason Carla would set foot in such an establishment and the realisation of this had hit Nick hard. She'd tried to deny it, of course, but as soon as she'd given in and uttered the hotel's name he'd known.

Irrespective of whether she'd cheated on him or not Nick knew he had to find her. The man was angry with her, it was clear in his tone and choice of words as he taunted her. If anyone was going to be knocking seven shades out of his girl it should be him, he was the one she'd betrayed. But Nick knew regardless of what Carla did he would never lay a finger on her. It would never come to that between them. As Nick hurried towards the hotel where Carla was, he struggled to push back the sinking feeling he felt. Carla had cheated on him with a man who was now intent on silencing her but that was not all. He knew her name. This was not just a random stranger she'd picked up in the casino, this was someone who knew her and what's more knew of their relationship. Hearing his own name from the other man had shocked Nick to the core. This was someone he knew which in itself brought into question whether or not this was in fact a one off or something more.

Carla knew what she was doing, letting another man take her to bed when she had a fiancé waiting at home. A few glasses of wine and the high of winning a considerable sum may have clouded her judgement but nonetheless she knew what she was doing. The trek from roulette wheel to hotel reception desk had been a silent one. There was no time for small talk as they paused only to collect a celebratory bottle of champagne en route. Their initial conversation had come to an end in a matter of seconds, her acceptance following his request as though nothing else mattered, which in that very moment nothing else did. Away from the casino it would not have been implausible for a change of heart to have occurred but their minds were made up. It would be a rare occasion for Carla Connor to go back on her word and this, with thoughts of her fiancé drifting ever further from her mind, was not one of those occasions.

The receptionist eyed them inquisitively as they approached, their urgent request for a room intriguing. They were not the first to have escaped the vibrant thrill of the casino in exchange for a more secluded thrill behind closed doors. Needless to say, the young girl who checked the hotel's availability had no doubt that they wouldn't be the last. For Carla and Robert, complete with their celebratory champagne, it was clear to anyone who gave them a second look what their intentions were. That was often the way with the hotel's close location to the casino, with rooms rarely booked for more than one night, if that. Stood beside Carla, who'd remained silent throughout, Robert dealt with the receptionist's menial questions of their request. The process had never felt so drawn out before, Carla mused, her fingers tapping impatiently upon the desk as she awaited the key card to unlock their destiny.

After what felt like an age the receptionist finally enlightened them of their room's number and location. 'Nice ring.' The girl commented as she slid the key card across to Carla's awaiting fingers. It was almost as though she'd been stabbed, a pang of guilt cutting straight through her heart. 'If I'd wanted your opinion I would've asked for it.' Carla snapped, lashing out with harsh words her only defence. Quickly Carla swiped the card from the desk before simply walking away, her actions confirming the receptionist's belief. This was not the man who'd given Ms Connor her engagement ring, there was another man, a fiancé no less, who remained to be seen. As she walked away Carla turned back to find Robert following in her wake, the look in his eyes exciting her. He was in awe of her just as he had been for most of the afternoon. The winnings burning a hole in her pocket could wait. She would return alone to gamble them away another time. She might even try her hand at poker, she was good at that one, but for now room 214 beckoned.

Ever the gentleman Robert held the stairwell door open for Carla who slipped passed him before leading the way to the second floor. Her heels clicked against each of the steps as she climbed them, the fast but gentle rhythm of her Jimmy Choos the only noise breaking through their silence. Holding back a little behind Carla, Robert watched her walking ahead of him. Her tight black skirt was short, every so often allowing him to catch a glimpse of the lacy black underwear which lay beneath her tights. 'I like your shoes.' Robert commented as his eyes followed the curves of her slender figure all the way down to her designer shoes. A light smile played across Carla's lips as she paused, turning back to face him. 'You know what they say about shoes like these?' She asked, placing her hand upon the banister as she watched him closing the gap between them. 'Hm?' Robert mumbled, now standing upon the step beneath Carla who leant close to him. 'They weren't made for standing up in.' Carla whispered before slipping away from him and continuing up the few remaining steps to the second floor.

There was a titillated smile upon Robert's lips as Carla walked away from him. His boss was certainly a lucky man, not that Nick's fiancée seemed to be giving him a second thought at this particular moment in time. Catching up with Carla, Robert found her paused in the corridor as she scanned the board outside the stairwell for their room's location. As he stood a little to the side behind Carla, Robert placed his hand against her hip. He was so close to her he could smell the gentle scent of her perfume which only served to arouse him further. With Robert's hand upon her hip, any thoughts of Nick which Carla may have initially had were now nothing more than a distant memory. All that mattered to her now was Robert and room 214. With a backwards glance across at Robert, Carla returned his smile as her eyes met his. Slowly she turned herself away from Robert, her hand catching his as she walked towards their room. As their fingers became linked Carla led Robert to the room, not that he needed any encouragement to follow her to the privacy of their own room.

When Carla and Robert reached room 214, Carla let go of Robert's hand to enable herself to take the room key out of the cardboard cover. As Carla slipped the key card into the door she felt Robert stand closely behind her, his hand against her hip. His kiss fell impatiently against her neck causing her lean back into him as she unlocked the door. Her eyes closed involuntarily as she tilted her head to one side, his kiss taking her by surprise. The champagne bottle in Robert's hand knocked lightly against the door as Robert slipped his hand past Carla to push the door open before them. Opening her eyes Carla stepped into the room with Robert following closely behind her. As they entered the room Robert discarded the bottle of champagne on a table by the door where it would keep for later. For now there were more pressing matters to attend to. As Carla turned around to face Robert he stepped quickly towards her, pushing her backwards against the wall as he kicked the door shut behind him. He couldn't keep his hands off her any longer.

With Carla catching up on paperwork at the factory, or so Nick believed her to be at least, Ms Connor's fiancé had taken advantage of the time alone to buy her birthday present. He hadn't intended to leave buying Carla's present to the last minute, just two days before her birthday, but he simply hadn't had a chance to sneak away alone without questions being asked. That very morning, however, with Carla telling Nick that she had a mountain of paperwork to deal with at the factory, she had unknowingly given Nick the perfect opportunity to sneak away into town. Ever since Carla had forgotten his birthday Nick had been left not quite knowing how to play hers. Making a big fuss over her birthday felt like he was rubbing her nose in the simple truth that she'd forgotten his, where as playing it down felt too much like some kind of payback. Needless to say his dilemma had been resolved as soon as he'd seen the necklace. It was perfect for her.

Nick hadn't expected to find something quite so soon but as it turned out he'd stumbled upon the perfect gift in one of the first places he'd looked. With a brief glance in the window as he passed, a necklace in the corner of the display had caught his eye. It came with a hefty price tag but that was to be expected if the piece was to match his fiancée's expensive taste. Besides, after the year she'd had, she deserved it. With the little black box now safely tucked away in his inside pocket, Nick headed back out of the jewellers. It was only the second time he'd been to this particular jewellers alone, the first having been four weeks previously when he'd chosen Carla's engagement ring. As Nick walked away from the jewellers he recalled a few of the many occasions where he'd had to drag Carla away from this very window. It felt like another lifetime when Carla had walked happily by his side, laughing at his lame jokes as she dragged him between shops. He missed hearing her laughter and seeing her beautiful smile.

There was just one thing which Nick now knew he needed to do before he left town. He needed to put that beautiful smile back upon Carla's face, if only for a moment before the reality set back in. It was at that moment, as Nick began to head towards the nearest florist, that his phone began to ring. Taking his phone out of his pocket Nick was met with a gorgeous photo of Carla which had remained his lock screen ever since their engagement party. 'Hey, baby. I was just thinking about you.' Nick smiled to himself as he answered his phone. Nick's smile, however, quickly fell from his face upon hearing Carla's response which couldn't have been further from what he'd expected. There was nothing but a muffled gasp at the other end of the line which seemed to give way to a slow sigh. 'Oh, Nick.' She softly whispered, seemingly holding back tears. Carla's whispered words, barely audible above the chaos of the town around him, broke Nick's heart. Alone in her office his beautiful fiancée had clearly fallen apart.