Chapter 132

Please Stop

Taylor POV

"Dude, she's like the fucking Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes!" Exasperated, I look at the guys. "Does she ever slow down or stop? Fuck. No wonder Kate and Ana get exhausted being with her."

Ryan laughs, "Nope. She's been like this every time we've seen her, for the most part." He grins, "I'm not sure if you've figured it out yet but she pretty much gets her way most of the time. She's definitely a force to be reckoned with and reminds me of a natural disaster. My thoughts on the matter? She's making up for something. Lost time or lost opportunities. She drinks a LOT which just seems to fuel her fire. It's like an energy drink for her. Just an observation."

I'm silent for a moment, soaking in the information. I was a profiler before I started working for Grey. I figured out she had some sort of incident in her past that triggers her but I don't have any idea what that incident could be. I'm still puzzled by the lack of information we can find on her.

Listening to her tell Grey off blew my mind. I can only imagine the look on his face and I'm sure Elliot didn't help the situation. No one talks to him that way and lives, except maybe Elliot and Mia.

Luke looks at me and I swear he can read my mind when he says, "T, you need to let it go. She has you and Grey in her sights. She's a very forgiving person but she WILL hold a grudge and believe me, you don't want to be on her bad side." He points to his face, which is no longer bruised but he still has a tiny Band-Aid covering his stitches. "You have to just go along for the ride and wait her out. She's not going to tell you anything until she's ready. If you push her, she'll fight you and will shut you down, then you'll struggle to gain her trust again." As an afterthought, he adds, "Grey better be put on notice too because she's really pissed at him and I don't know what she's going to do."

That's my fear, the battle waiting back in Seattle. It will be bad, but probably entertaining.

Luke POV

"Guys, I'm starting to feel the Patron flow through my system. What about you?"

They look at me, "Yeah, us too. If she's going to be like this all night, we're in trouble." Reynolds laughs.

"How the fuck is she not shit-faced? She's fucking tiny! Where the hell does she put it?" I laugh, totally perplexed.

Reynolds smirks, "How many drinks did she say she had so far? Seven? We've had what, four? I'm beginning to think she's right. She can drink almost anyone under the table. If we were back home, and somewhere safe, I'd like to see just how much she can drink. We can keep a tally of the number of bottles." He laughs.

Ryan joins in the laughter. "We've not seen her actually drunk. I bet she's a blast to hang out with. Elliot seems to love her. Can you imagine the two of them together? I mean, you heard their conversation when she called Grey. They're basically on the same wavelength and he seems to get her sense of humor. I would pay money to watch that show."

Reynolds chuckles, "However, I also imagine she's quick to lose her temper if pushed the wrong way. I mean, you've seen her snap before when she's not drinking. I noticed Ana and Kate don't step in the line of fire but they seem to know how to disarm her. Sort of."

I don't find that amusing at all. She's going to get alcohol poisoning if she's not careful. Vegas isn't the place to have a drinking contest. I wonder what Alex thinks about her drinking? He doesn't seem like the type to drink much and, from what I've seen, he looks at her like he's confused or sad or something. I get it, I totally do. If it were me, I certainly wouldn't be very happy either. I wouldn't want her drinking that much but we don't know enough about her so who are we to judge? The thing that blows my mind the most is her managing the pain from a broken hand with alcohol. That's fucking insane.

Sighing, "I agree. She seems to use alcohol as a therapy or treatment of some sort, which is not healthy in any way. I just wish we knew more about her to get the answer to the 'why'."

We stop talking when Rhi comes out of Kate and Ana's room and she's like a tornado. She stops in her tracks and when she asks Reynolds if we've hand any more drinks, we look at each other hoping he says yes. I'm disappointed when he tells her the truth. Fuck. She's really trying to get us drunk! Ugh. I was not prepared for this. AT ALL.

Rolling her eyes, she commands, "Come on guys, you need another drink."

Fuck. Walking over to the table, we accept our fate. This is what, number four? Five? Hell, I've lost count. How many more are we going to have to consume before eating?

Downing the drinks, I'm shocked when she tells me she needs my help. She hasn't really talked to me since we came to their suite and the looks she's been delivering are kind of cold. I see Reynolds and Ryan share a look and laugh, with Rhi joining in. What is that all about?

"C'mon Kong, shake a tail feather!" She orders, whirls around and disappears into her room.

Swallowing hard, I stand up. I suppose I should go. Heading into her room, I see she's in the bathroom and as I approach the door, she calls for me to come in.

Pushing open the door, I see her struggling to do something with her hair. What could she possibly need help with? I check her out in the mirror and my eyes scan over her, taking her in. Her robe is loosely tied around her and has opened and her cleavage is showing quite a bit, showing a hint of her mounds underneath. Fuck. I've got to stop looking at her this way.

Clearing my throat, "What do you need help with?"

Turning around, she drops the hand that's holding the brush to her head, leaving it dangling in her hair and laughs. "I seem to have hit a little snag in my preparations."

I can see that she has the brush stuck in her hair. When she lays her head down on the counter, I'm confused. "What the hell are you doing?"

She laughs, "I need to do my hair and I told Ana and Kate that I would have someone stand by in case I needed help. The last time I did this, earlier today, I didn't ask for help and Ana was pissed." She continues to pick her hair out of the brush, which will take forever the way she's doing it.

Sighing, I roll my eyes. "Here. Let me do that. We'll never make it to dinner at this rate."

She giggles, "Thank you. I also need to blow dry my hair but I want to try it myself first. I might need you to take over if I can't."

Fuck, that giggle is adorable. "Are you going to be able to handle this when you go home?" I'm assuming she lives alone.

"That's why I'm doing all this here. To make sure I'm OK to handle everything on my own when I go home." A sad smile appears on her face, "I don't know what I'll do if I can't do the basic functions. Dad's gone so I can't stay with him and Kate and Ana live too far away." She stares off into the distance before she continues. "Can you imagine the mess I'll be if I can't do anything?" We make eye contact in the mirror for a minute before she whispers, "What if I can't brush my own hair? What if I can't take care of myself?"

A sharp pain stabs into my heart and I'm at a loss for words. I have no idea what to say to that. What could I possibly say? I'll tell you what I say, the only thing that pops into my head. "I've never helped someone do their hair." Talk about an uncomfortable moment.

She laughs, "All I need you to do at this moment is help me untangle my hair from this brush. After that, nothing until I need help." She pauses, watching me. "I can do this on my own but, as you said, it will take too long and we don't have time. Would you mind? If not, I can ask Retro or Lurch…"

The fuck they will.

Stepping closer, the smell of her shampoo and body wash is intoxicating. "I'll do it." I respond gruffly. I don't mean for it to come out that way, it just does.

Making eye contact in the mirror, once again, we stand there silently. The intensity is insanely strong and I can't tell what she's thinking. I, on the other hand, am trying to convey my feelings without letting her see the jealousy in my eyes. I know what she's doing and I want her to stop. I feel bad enough as it is.

Sighing heavily, I hold her gaze. "Do you really need to do that? Please stop." Lowering my voice I continue, "I'm sorry. What happened, what we did, shouldn't have." She doesn't say anything but remains looking at me through the mirror. "We were following orders that we knew were wrong and should have said something to stop it. We didn't and you got hurt as a result. I feel terrible for my part in everything, especially you getting hurt. What I did should never have happened. Ever. Especially you getting hurt." I swallow the lump in my throat. "I'll never forgive myself and I'll never be able to make it up to you. I'll spend the rest of my life trying, even if I have to come over multiple times a day to help you brush your hair. Whatever you need, I'll do it."

She doesn't say anything and I start to wonder if she was even listening to what I said. Then I see it. A single tear traveling down her cheek. The lone tear that escaped the ones quickly pooling in her eyes.

My heart breaks and I turn her around to face me. Reaching out, I run my thumb under her eye to wipe away the stray tear. "Please don't cry." I feel like I've been punched in the gut. The last thing I wanted to do was make her cry.

Suddenly, she wraps her arms around me and buries her face in my chest. The sob she lets out catches me by surprise. It's gut wrenching and I can hear her pain. A profound wailing pain escaping from somewhere deep in her soul. I don't think before I act. I wrap my arms around her and hold her close while she cries, letting whatever it is she had locked up out.

I don't know how long we stand there, me holding her while she cries, her hands gripping my shirt like a lifeline, but after a while she shudders to a stop and remains silent.

Pulling back, she lifts her face from my chest and looks up at me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Looking down at her, I smile. "Hey, it's OK. There's nothing to be sorry for. I'm here whenever you need me. Always."

She takes a shaky breath before answering. "What you said, did you mean it?"

I'm confused. "Which part?"

"You'd be there whenever I need help?" She sounds surprised.

"I meant everything I said." I smile again, "Even if I have to come over multiple times a day. All you need to do is ask and I'm there. No matter what."

She wraps herself tightly around me again and when she pulls back she stands on her tip-toes, reaches up and holds my face in her hands. "Thank you. I forgive you." She surprises me when she pulls my head down and kisses me gently. "You have no idea what that means to me."

Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea. "You OK now?"

Sniffling, she nods. "Yeah." She chuckles, "It's a good thing I don't have makeup on yet."

Shaking my head, I grab a washcloth and wet it with hot water. As I'm wiping her face I laugh, "You don't need makeup. You're beautiful just how you are." Leaning down, I kiss the top of her head and set the cloth on the counter.

"I still have a brush stuck in my hair." She giggles, "Maybe I'll start a new trend."

I chuckle, "I don't think that's a good trend to start. Come on, let's get your hair untangled." Stepping next to the counter, I start to pull her hair from the brush. "How the hell did you manage to get it stuck?"

She shrugs, "I'm just lucky I guess. I tried brushing it myself, without running my hand through it first to detangle it. As a matter of fact, when you get the brush out that might be the best way to start."

"Do you know how you're going to do your hair tonight?" I hope it's easy because I have no idea what I'm doing. I hope she leaves it down. It's beautiful and thick but there's so much of it!

Smiling, it's like she can read my mind. "I'm going to leave it down. It will look nice with my dress and will keep me warm if needed."

Hmm…I wonder what she means by it keeping her warm?

She's doing her makeup while I'm working on getting the brush untangled so we're doing double time. It only takes her a few minutes to do that part. She only wears mascara, eyeliner and moisturizer.

"Let me know when you're ready to detangle it. It needs to be done upside down first. That's the worst part." She smiles in the mirror and starts brushing her teeth.

With the brush out of her hair, I start running my fingers through it while she's brushing her teeth. After a minute, in a very unladylike manner, she spits out her toothpaste and rinses her mouth. "There, all done! Now, have at it." And she bends over so I can work the back.

An unwelcome thought pops into my head of me fucking her from behind and pulling her hair. Fuck, I've got to stop these thoughts.

I can't even look at her when I say gruffly, "It's a good thing your hair isn't super wet because you've got way too much of it." Smiling, I soften my tone. I can't take my frustration out on her. "It's like a lion's mane and a horses tail combined. It's beautiful though."

She smirks, "It's a good thing it doesn't bother me when it's pulled."

I chuckle and roll my eyes, ignoring her comment. She's going to be trouble, I can feel it.

After about 5 minutes, we're done and she picks up the hairdryer and finishes drying her hair, she's a little wobbly with the dryer but manages OK. When she stands up, she flips her hair and it's all poofy and full. I can't contain my laugh. Now she really looks like she has a lion's mane.

She turns to the mirror and runs her fingers through it, smoothing it out a bit. "There! Shall we head out?" She starts walking through the bedroom and toward the main room.

I look around and wonder what she's wearing tonight. Spying something in the closet hanging, I see a small piece of black fabric along the bottom of the bag. I know it's a black dress, but I can't see what kind. Oh well, I'll see soon enough.

I laugh, "Rhi, aren't you forgetting something? Like clothes? You can't go out in your robe."

Smiling, she looks back at me, "I know, but you need another drink. I also need to check on Kate and Ana."

Oh my God, she's one of those 'fashionably late' girls. Fuck. "Really? THAT'S your priority? Come on princess, we can't be late for the reservation."

She rolls her eyes in response and continues to walk out the door.