"What the fuck were you thinking? I can't even begin to believe that you would allow Ana to just disappear into some dive and drink herself stupid!" The yelling has been non-stop affair for three-quarters of an hour now. I would admire Christian's stamina, and the fact that he hasn't yet gone completely hoarse, were the tirade not directed towards me.
"I'm sorry, sir. I knew that you wouldn't want her to go to the bar, but my job is to protect, not control." Not like you. I left that part silent, but the implication hung heavy in the air.
Christian narrowed his eyes at me. "True, I should have been more explicit in my directions, and told you to bring her straight to Escala, no stops, but I thought that anyone with an ounce of common sense would assume that was what I wanted."
"Again, I'm sorry that you're dissatisfied, sir." I've apologized so many times that the words have lost all meaning to me. We've talked ourselves in so many circles that my head won't stop spinning. All I want in the world is to head back to the bed that he dragged me out of. It was too much to hope that he'd let the matter rest until morning.
"Christian?" The sound is feeble and imploring. We both lift our gaze to the doorway, where Anna is leaning against the wall for support, her hand pressed against her head to fend off what was sure to be a killer of a headache.
"Anna, go back to bed. Taylor and I are almost finished here, and I will come join you shortly." His words come out like a barked command. He is clearly as angry with her as he is with me, I'm sure he'll punish her later, but her lashing will surely be of a different sort than the one I'm currently receiving.
"Christian." Her voice coming out a little stronger now, a demand for his attention, rather than a plea. "It wasn't Taylor's fault. He didn't have any choice. I decided to go to that bar, and he did try to stop me, but I was just too scared and confused. I couldn't think of anything other than escaping that for a little while. Taylor was just trying to keep me safe."
Christian glowers at us both in turn, then heaves a begrudging sigh, and turns to escort Anna back to bed. "It's all right Anna, we'll talk about this in the morning. It's been a long day, and I think we all just need a little rest."
The next morning, I wake earlier than usual. The clock on my nightstand read 7:00 in large, blood red numbers. Hastily, I scurry out of bed and throw on my typical uniform of black cargo pants and a black t-shirt. It wouldn't due to slack off on security now, when Christian was sure to still be livid with me.
As I run around and do my morning checks, ensuring that everything was secure, the enticing scents of bacon and coffee flood the house.
I can't help but allow myself to be lead to the kitchen by my nose. If nothing else, I desperately need the world's largest cup of coffee, to make up for my lost sleep.
I enter the kitchen, expecting to see Mrs. Jones puttering around, called in by Christian to help on her day off, after the disasters of last night. Instead, there's Anna, apparently none the worse for the wear, after her night of drinking, dancing along to her ipod as she flipped the bacon in the pan.
I clear my throat, just loud enough to announce my presence, but still she jumps. She spins around and wields the fork that she's holding like a weapon. I chuckle at her wide-eyed expression, as I lean against the counter. Now that I'm closer, I can see that she's wearing a long t-shirt, that barely reaches her thighs, and very likely nothing else.
"I'd like to be sedated, right now." I casually mention, smiling at her still shell-shocked expression.
"What?" She asks breathlessly, as she presses her hand to her still rapidly beating heart.
I make a vague gesture towards her top.
"24 hours to go, I wanna be sedated" I sing quietly.
"Oh, is that a Ramones song?" She asks, pointing to the metallic yellow lettering sprawled across her chest.
"Yeah, I just assumed that you were a fan, considering the shirt and all." The end of my sentence trails off uncertainly.
"Yeah, I'm not the fan. My step-dad, Ray, he got this for me when he went to a cover band show a few years ago. I've never listened to them much myself." She was smiling apologetically, as though her not having an intimate knowledge of 1970's punk bands would be offensive to me.
I let out a low chuckle at her stricken express.
"Out of the way, little lady, let me educate you on the golden age of rock."
Giving her a gentle shove away from the ipod dock, I fish mine out of my pocket and plug it it.
"Here you go, young one, experience music the way it once was," I introduce as the first few chords come over the speaker.
Have I ever told you
How good it feels to hold you
It isn't easy to explain
And though I'm really tryin'
I think I may start cryin'
My heart can't wait another day
She starts her swaying once again, as she gets into the music. She peels the bacon off from the pan and lies it on a plate next to her.
"Do you want some eggs, Taylor? It's the least I can do after what happened last night."
I'd hoped that she would forget the late night drama between her, Christian, and myself, but there was no escaping it, it seemed.
"Last night was my fault, Ms. Steele. I should have escorted you directly to Escala, and I did not. Anything that you overheard Christian telling me, last night, was not a reflection on your actions, but on mine." I state firmly. I don't want her to feel guilty over any punishment that Christian might give me.
Her brow furrowed quizzically. "What are you talking about?" She asks. "I didn't know Christian spoke to you last night."
"Yes, we had a discussion about your safety, after he returned home and you came out during it. I assumed that was the unpleasantness you were referring to… What were you talking about?"
Her face flushed red as she shuffled her feet, turning from the stove.
"I was talking about the elevator."
I felt my heart freeze in my chest. Of all the things I thought she would remember from last night, the incident in the elevator was the last thought on my mind. She was smashed, and half-unconscious at that point, and I thought there was no way she would recall that portion of the night.
When you kiss me I just gotta
Kiss me I just gotta
Kiss me I just gotta say :
Baby, I love you
Come on baby
Baby, I love you
Baby I love, I love only you
The Ramones droned on in the background as I struggled to fill the now awkward silence. I struggled through my shell-shock, trying to think of anything I could say to ease the tension rapidly building in the room.
She whirls back around to face the stove, as the bacon starts sizzling and spitting at an alarming rate.
"The elevator?" The only stupid thing I can think to say.
She stills for a moment, waiting for me to continue, when words fail me, she continues tending the food.
I can't live without you
I love everything about you
I can't help it if I feel this way
I clear my throat again. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Her shoulders lower as she visibly relaxes. "So I didn't force myself on you in the elevator last night?"
I force a chuckle. "No, Miss."
All of the stress that she was wearing wiped away at that moment, and for a second, she looks almost as young as she actually is. "Oh, thank God, it was a dream. I can't imagine what Christian would have said."
Oh I'm so glad I found you
I want my arms around you
I love to hear you call my name
Oh tell me that you feel
Tell me that you feel
Tell me that you feel the same
"Can't imagine what Christian would have said about what?" Speak of the devil and the devil will appear.
"If she told you she were listening to the Ramones." I lie smoothly. I make a weak gesture at the ipod dock.
"The Ramones! Say it isn't so, sweet Anna!" He strides over to her and gives her a playful twirl. She lets out a delighted giggle, as she spin, her shirt lifting just high enough to expose the tops of her thighs, and the edges of her panties.
"I can't help it, Christian, Taylor has corrupted me. I have been irrevocably changed." She gives him a mock sorrowful gaze.
"It's alright, baby, I'll save you from Taylor's malicious taste in music." He wraps his arm around her shoulder and leads her back to the bedroom. I walk over to the stove, turn off the burner, and move the pan over. It wouldn't due to have have her come back out to burned breakfast.
Baby, I love you
Come on baby
baby, I love you
Baby I love, I love only you
I grab the ipod off from the dock and stride back into my suite. She's fine. I'm fine. Christian's fine. My job is done. Yet, for some reason, I can't help but feel like there is still work to be done. It sets my teeth on edge and prevents me from catching up on lost sleep.
"I wanna be sedated," I can't help but mumble, as I hear a distant thud and moan from across the apartment.
Rolling over for the the thousandth time, I bury my head under the pillow and try to fall back drown out the noises down the hall and go back to sleep.
Sorry about the long wait for the update, everyone. I Really didn't know where I wanted to take this story, and I didn't know if anyone would show real interest. However, now that I know that people actually want to see this finished, and I've thought a little more about what I want to do, I'm prepared to update a little more frequently. Thank you to all that reviewed, and a special thank you to the little nudge that helped get me back to this.