He's Back

She is his obsession.

Chapter One

Carla tutted in annoyance as she stepped into the office of the factory and the usual hum of the machines began along with the incessant chatter of the machinists. Aiden was supposed to be at the factory before she'd gotten there so not only had she been later than she should have been opening the factory, not that the machinists were interested, it was pay for nothing as far as they were concerned, he hadn't so much as left her a message as to explain where he was or what he was doing though as Eva had also not turned in, she thought she probably would have been able to take an accurate guess. I'd much prefer to be at the apartment with Nick, she thought, but she wasn't though she couldn't stop herself from thinking about him, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she did.

Nick rolled over and draped his arm over Carla's waist as he stroked the tanned skin of her naked thigh before leaning over to bite her earlobe playfully, tugging it between his teeth which caused her to giggle quietly as she also turned a little, though stayed in the position enough so that they were spooning, with her back against his chest and his leg between hers.

"Do you have to go into the factory?" Nick whispered, a playful whining to his tone as he did.

"Unfortunately baby" she purred.

"You know you could always say your arm is bothering you..."

"Don't tempt me, you know I'd rather stay here with you but there is stuff I've been putting of. You know riveting stuff like papers and figures." She told him and as she spoke sarcasm dripped from her tone.

"So as they boss you have to go and sort it out."

"Mmhmm... I should really move..."

Nick didn't respond and instead moved his hand and trailed it slowly along the inside of her thigh, loving the way her breath hitched in her throat as he did. "You know if you start any mucky stuff there is no way I'm going to be there for opening..."

He smirked, "if that means you're here with me I think I could deal with it..."

Carla was about to make a smart comment in response to Nick but as he kissed her she decided against it and responded to the kiss, deepening it as she wrapped her arm around him.

Carla was snapped from her thoughts by a knock at the office door and she sighed and after putting a pill from the packet that had been in her bag into her mouth she had a swig of the drink that was on her desk before she called out to whoever was on the other side of the door. "What?" she called.

A nervous Sinead opened the door though didn't step inside as she spoke. "Would you like a brew Mrs Connor?"

Carla nodded "thanks"

After the door had closed Carla walked around to the other side of her desk and reached over to turn on the computer and though she knew she hadn't been at the factory much since she'd been caught in the robbery in the Bistro she hadn't thought Aiden would have left her to it and not so much as bothered to send her a message to let her know what he was doing. Idiot, was her thought, she wasn't known for her patience and she felt like what little she had was all but non existent after she'd gotten to the factory. After getting the coffee from Sinead she turned to the computer and groaned quietly as she opened some of the files she knew had been left for her to sort out and though she guessed she would have preferred to have been doing something else she knew she hadn't built the factory to what it was to not be interested in it.

Nick sauntered across the street from the Bistro having been in The Rovers he'd spoken to Kirk after the group of machinists had made their way there for their lunch break, regardless of not having started as they'd been supposed to what with Aiden not opening the factory and Carla not knowing, and after asking where Carla was he'd been told she was still in the factory and with guessing she hadn't had the intention of getting herself some lunch he decided to take some to her. After going into the factory he let the door swing closed behind him and went into the office after going through the door he let a small smile play on his lips as Carla was going through a pile of papers that were in front of her and on getting close enough he perched on the edge of Carla's desk. Carla had been about to snap at someone going into the office without knocking but after knowing it was Nick she smiled and leaned over to kiss him before he placed the salad and the iced pastry he'd gotten for her on the desk and spoke after he had. "We've had a booking for a party coming in so I might not be back until later."

"Oh, we'll I'm not sure about going back to the flat, Aiden forgot to tell me about some of the stuff he's left for me to do so I think there's going to be more than I thought."

"Why don't you send me a message before you leave and if I'm at the Bistro you could come in for a glass of red?"

She almost dribbled at the thought. "I love you Nicky Tilsley."

"I love you..." he told her and turned to leave, "and I've told you about calling me that..." he chastised playfully and with that he left the office and then the factory.

Carla let a small smirk tug at the corners of her lips at the comment Nick had made and after he'd left she opened the salad that he'd brought for her after opening a file that had been on her desk to go through the figures that were in it as she ate. She hadn't thought she would have found someone else after Liam and then Peter and have really loved them but she knew she did love Nick and she knew she didn't like the thought of them not being together. Robert, her gut twisted at the thought of him and that stupid mistake she'd made in going back to his hotel room with him, he meant nothing and though she didn't like lying to Nick about having cheated on him she guessed she'd have preferred that than him deciding he wasn't interested in being with her and as far as Carla was concerned if he learned of her and Robert he would dump her and there would be no going back and them being together let alone being engaged to be married.

...

"Thanks for leaving all this nonsense to me and not showing. I know you like to think you own this place Aiden but you do not." was the message she'd sent to Aiden as the shift finished and though she knew she couldn't leave until she'd completed a spreadsheet she hoped the quiet from the chatter and the hum of the machines would encourage her to do it, that and the thought of Nick's offer of a glass of red.

After completing the spreadsheet Carla stretched out in the chair and yawned before reaching over to the music she'd put on after deciding the factory was a little overly quiet and increased the volume as a song she liked in particular was played. She hadn't heard the knock at the factory door and didn't know anything about anyone else being there until she was interrupted dancing around the office whilst putting away papers and files she'd been using. She turned around quickly as the door to the office opened and she thought it might have been Nick but after turning to find it was a guy she didn't recognise holding a bunch of flowers she guessed that thought Nick might not have been there himself that it was his doing that this guy was. She stepped a little closer and offered a small smile to the rugged guy who was in front of her. "Carla Connor?"

She nodded as acknowledgement and confirmation and reached to take the bunch of flowers he held out to her. "Someone's trying to impress..."

"Apparently so." She smiled, though it faltered a little as she reached for the small card that was with the flowers, freesia's.

"Not a rose, tacky, a freesia." Carla shuddered at the thought before she turned to move some of her things off the desk t make space for the flowers, Nick wasn't to know that particular type of flower would bring back an unwelcome memory, it was an off hand comment she'd made to Maria after reporting Frank for raping her and she knew if Nick had known they would have been the last type of flower he would have sent her.

Carla turned around to sign for the delivery of the flowers but as she did, before she had the chance to open her mouth to speak she was punched hard and sent falling to the floor. The man who'd delivered the flowers nudged her roughly with his foot and after becoming satisfied she wouldn't be causing him any fuss after not getting a reaction from her his rough hands dialled an all too familiar number. "I've got her, where am i taking her?"