A/N: My male best friend wrote this in the document when I stepped away at some point. I thought I'd share. "They made passionate love 'til the sun rose over the tops of the trailers. Jared was a very generous lover, like, I mean, his giving to receiving ratio was 100:1."
Limes With Lipstick
'Throw me in a landfill,
Don't think about the consequences.'
Chapter Five: Landfill
'Are you afraid of me?'
Her eyes snapped open. She was replaying last night over again in her head.
Their kiss wasn't something that she was ready to believe in. In the heady space of fear and potential longing, she had given in. Jared Leto had won for a split second and the warmth of his victory still lingered on her lips. She'd touched her fingers to them, wanting to retrace the moment back to where he decided that he wanted her. If there was a way to stop time to make sure that the feeling remained and was never fleeting, not even for a single moment, then perhaps it would be worth it.
Jared Leto was enigmatic, but dangerous, because he knew it. He knew how to use it to manipulate the people and situations around him.
She answered her phone, "Yes, Gee?"
"I have no idea where I am right now." Her friend looked around the busy streets of New York, still hung over from last night's endeavors. "I slept with some guy who burped in his sleep. I woke up and his mouth flatulence was so, so bad."
"That's pretty gross."
"I'M so gross, you mean. I can't remember anything." She paused for a moment, still slightly drunk. "I was probably good though, like, if anything was to be made certain. Anyways, keep me company, until I'm safely home. Things are starting to look familiar."
Now was a better time than any to tell her about her own mistake, "I let Jared kissed me."
Gee laughed, "I'm sorry, is this kindergarten? He kissed you. That's cute. Maybe you two can hold hands and pick flowers next time."
"I stopped it, before it could turn into anything."
"Wow, see. You're a prude. Your whole life will be spent having vanilla sex."
"Eh, that's probably true." She said, as she stared down at her resignation letter. It had been easy for her to write, professional, and to the point. "I think I'm quitting today."
"Did you really just state it using your eerily calm voice?" Gee climbed the steps to her apartment and stopped at the door. It was serious. "This is the best job you've had in a long time. It could have been a full year for you without work. If you quit your job now, there's a possibility that you'll have to settle for something less. Can you afford to do that right now?"
Like she really needed to hear that shit, "Gee –!"
"Yes or no, bitch."
If she were to be completely honest…
"No. I can't afford it."
"Yeah, I didn't think so, either. Tell me what's so terrible about being kissed by a celebrity, one of which just so happens to be Jared Leto."
"You wouldn't understand this feeling, even if I described it perfectly." 'You always go for bad men,' she wanted to say, but decided against it. She didn't need to hurt anyone's feelings.
"Well, I'm home now. I'm going for round two of drunken sleep. Try not to quit."
"Alright, good…morning? Night…" She trailed awkwardly, before hanging up. She was outside a local pet store called, 'Paws and Claws'. Jared wanted to go in and play with the huskies. She initially thought that the request had been a joke, but he stood firm.
She walked back inside, finding the actor in a booth on the floor with two of the puppies fighting each other for dominance. It looked like a wrestling match, Jared being the guest spectator. He looked so taken by the sight before him. The huskies occasionally stopped to nip at his fingers whenever he tried to interfere.
"Were you thinking of buying one, sir?" She asked, as she entered the booth and sat across from him. She wouldn't mind looking after a dog on his behalf. Really, it was like, 'Will you be buying me a puppy today, because your ass won't be taking care of it.'
He picked up the pure white husky and held it up to his face. It licked at him softly, exerting too much of its young energy, and dozed off. "My response to that is a bit morbid, but I'll tell you anyway. I don't like when they die. I love raising them, but I hate how I outlive them. That's why I prefer to visit for right now." He quickly added, not particularly wanting her input on it, "What about you though?"
"No pets. My apartment doesn't allow it."
"I know we're paying you enough to live comfortably." Despite living in California for so long, his Louisianan accent appeared more and more often when he was away from the city. He gave her a smile, "You should be in a condo, at least."
"I'm paying things off, so I can't live too luxuriously."
He stared at her, contemplative, "Have you ever been hiking?"
She shook her head 'no', watching as the grin on his face grew wider. He loved introducing people to new things. Sometimes it took effort when it was laborious or potentially risky, but a simple thing such as a hike was easy enough to talk anyone into doing with him.
They were sitting in the car, Jared giving her the directions for the GPS system. The drive there was lengthy, about two hours away from the hotel. It was his day off, so technically he could do whatever the hell he wanted. He was quiet on the drive there, listening to his music, and messing around on his phone. She didn't mind the silence, considering that it wasn't tension filled this time.
"We're here, Mr. Leto."
"What will it take for you to just call me Jared? There are people I've never met in my life who approach me like we're family. I'd probably feel more comfortable with them when you speak to me like that." He left the car and continued their conversation once she joined him. "Not only that, but it sounds robotic, and irks the living shit out of me."
"It's a habit of manners," She replied, honestly, as they stepped into the wide forest. There was a visible path leading in. There were plenty of times that she wanted to stop and look around in her lifetime, but she was always busy, too busy to do something so simple. She could hear the distant sounds of a waterfall. A strong gust of wind blew past them, shifting her hair in every which way.
She was beginning to understand him. At least, a tiny bit, since she could certainly see the appeal that comes with nature. The air she breathed in was fresh and the scenery was soothing.
"What's the last thing you spent your money on? Wait, no. What is the last thing that you bought for yourself? It has to be something you wanted, but did not need."
"It was a stuffed animal, I think. Maybe a keychain."
"When did you purchase it?" He helped her over a ridge with an outstretched hand, just now noticing the shoes that she was wearing for today's festivities. They sure as fuck weren't suitable. She'd end up with blisters or a sprained ankle in those heels, yet she didn't complain. That's what he gets for being spontaneous.
"It was maybe a year or two ago? It could have been longer. It was whenever I started paying off my student loans. I'm kinda terrified of debt."
He didn't even know what she'd attended college for, having hired her without looking into anything. Usually he would have a background check done. She could have been a meth addict for all he knew. That was how blindly he'd trusted his source. "What did you major in?"
"Psychology. Well, Pediatric Psychology, which begs the question. How on earth did I end up being a personal assistant."
If it weren't for all the psychology books he'd seen lying around, he would have a difficult time believing her. Why? Not because she wasn't capable, but because she'd accepted a job that was so contrary and outlandish to what she had in mind. "That is an appropriate question, especially when you had been recommended to me..."
"Who would do that? I don't even know anyone famous or in the industry. I mean, before I met you. It's been a whole new world. Flying carpets, genies, and whatever else you might remember from Aladdin." She shook her head, "See, that was a missed opportunity. I should have used that one on Clark."
"It was my mother who vouched for you." He said, as he grabbed her hand again, helping her up the hill. It was becoming instinctual, as though he were taking care of a child who was accident prone. He didn't want her to scrape her knee or worse.
"I've spoken to her once and it was to relay that unholy, 'don't drink the water' message." They shared a laugh over it. He knew how his mother was and he could see that happening. Although, the girl hadn't presented it with the same alarm, but the panic must've been there on the other end.
"If you're truly up for getting to the bottom of this, then you have to figure out who around you knows my mother."
"Or, or…" They stopped at an uneven area of terrain, where he had helped her up. Her hands were still resting on his forearms, as she steadied herself. "We can not go with the Sherlock tipoff to Nancy Drew and you could just call your mother and get the answer from her?"
"You must think she's an easy woman." He shook his head at her, his blue eyes catching in the sun, warming her through when he stared down at her, "She wouldn't tell me. Hell, she might've secretly enlisted you just to have me psycho analyzed. She does still consider me a child."
"Hm, I wonder why," she joked, as she walked on ahead of him to look at the waterfall. It was absolutely beautiful. Her hands patted at her shorts, wanting to get out her phone, so that she could take a picture of it. "I left my phone in the car."
"Mine is in my bag, which is also in the car." He almost never forgets to take his phone. Too many people called or messaged him. It was like an appendage at this point. "I'm sure the world will live on without my immediate attention. And remind me to buy you new heels when we get back, since those are bound to be ruined by the time we're done."
"It's fine. I don't even like this pair–ah!" The moment she'd walked away from him was the moment she'd lost her footing and slid. She dug her nails into the dirt, unable to grab hold any roots along the way. It was when she felt the drop, for as briefly as it was, that she knew she was in trouble. She landed hard on her back with her heart pounding wildly against her chest.
Ga-guhn…Ga-guhn…Ga-guhn…
She could hear him calling her name, but she didn't have the strength to respond. She was too afraid to move, too terrified of what could have been wrong, or broken.
"Fuck," she rasped, closing her eyes against the pain. This was humiliating.
Jared headed down the path where she'd tumbled and found her at the bottom of the drop. The jump down was bearable, because it had to be. The height hardly mattered, as he landed on his boots a couple feet away from her. There were cuts on her legs, but none were terribly deep. She'd lost the heels, which he was positive would end up being an actual loss. This woman was dishonest, after all, and paying back her debts.
"Can you move?" He asked, as he tucked back green strands of hair behind his ear, and hovered over her. "Start slow and move your arms."
She did as he asked and was relieved that they were only sore. "It's not that bad."
"Now your legs," He commanded, gently. He was impatient to learn if she would be in severe pain or not. The sharp scream she'd let out during her fall had been enough to startle him, emotionally, perhaps.
"It's difficult, but I don't think anything is broken or sprained, which is lucky." She was still being positive, despite the situation. It aggravated him.
"Quite." He moved his arm beneath her head and at the back of her legs. "I have to lift you up. Let me know if anything hurts."
She nodded, turning her face into his shoulder when he picked her up, and he held her against him more securely. A quick spasm of pain shot into her back, but it seemed to lessen the longer she was in the same position for. "My back hurts a bit more than anything else, but it's going away, I think."
"The pain you'll feel tomorrow will probably be worse, than it is right now. We'll have to take some preventive measures, a painkiller or two." He felt her place her hand at the front of his chest, holding onto him, as he walked through the forest. He would have to find a way to get back to where they were, without climbing back up. It was a task, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.
"What happened to my shoes?" She mumbled, feeling ridiculous the longer she stared at her bare feet.
"Oh, they're long gone." She could hear the amusement in his tone. "Now I'll really have to replace them. It was my fault you fell in the first place."
"I'll never let you do that."
"It going to happen. You believe me, don't you?" He paused to look down at her, their mouths only inches away from touching. "You've been working for me. Tell me, what kind of a man am I?"
He was a man who kept his promises, which didn't bode well with the situation at hand. "No, Jared."
He adjusted her in his arms. Once again, bringing their faces so incredibly close, that she felt his breath on her skin when he spoke, "Did you just call me Jared? Why, that's so weird."
She really didn't have to tolerate this anymore. "You can probably put me down now. I can see the road."
"You haven't seen your legs yet," He said, being all too aware of the wet sensation of her blood rubbing against his skin. "There should be a first aid kit in the car."
"I'm sorry that I ruined our hike."
"There'll be other chances." Would there be? He probably wouldn't want to hike with her once he discovered that she was going to quit. Her letter of resignation was signed and in the car. All she had to do was hand it over to him.
He set her down against the tree nearest of the car, "I'll need the keys."
She raised her hips, reaching into the back pocket of her shorts. It was empty. She'd lost the fucking keys during her tumble. She set herself down, "I don't have them."
"I'll retrace our steps and see if I can find them. Worst case scenario, I get to break a window, so we can get our phone." He could see the regret and worry on her face. It was for him and not for herself.
He leaned down next to her, reaching his fingers out to the small cut beneath her eye. She winced at the light contact, and stared up at him. His eyes were bright and inquisitive, reading her as though he could see everything she had yet to reveal to anyone. Was this the same person from before? He was never this nice…
"I'll be right back. Stay put."
She watched him for as long as she could and lost sight of him when he disappeared through the forest. There was plenty of light left, but she couldn't help but feel concerned. She really didn't even want him to leave, but she was useless. And he had a plan, which included a more reckless backup plan should it fail.
'Come back soon,' she thought to herself, as she listened to the loud silence around her.
TBC
