Page 34 of Fury
They were the only words, big and bold, staring straight back at us. I nudged the office chair, the wheels squeaking suddenly on the old vinyl tiles of the office floor, Heidi flinching beside me.
“Cameras,” I instructed, her grip on the mouse not releasing when I covered her hand with mine.
The matrix of images came alive. Six views, all pointing at different areas in and out of the building. I scanned them all, looking for any movement, any sign that anyone was in the building with us. But nothing moved, only us. Two images crouched over the table, staring intently.
“Ok. There’s no one here.” I kept my voice low, listening as she exhaled slowly beside me, and under my hand, hers shook.
“The person earlier. Do you think they were looking for me?”
“Probably. Possibly,” I added when I felt the tension return to her arm. “Might have been a coincidence.”
Now her whole body trembled, the sudden vulnerability of her frame, of her persona taking me by surprise. I hadn’t expected her to crumble so fast and as she glanced up at me, those blue eyes glistened more than I had ever seen, like beautiful gems caught in the sun. I sunk to my haunches, my face now just in line with hers.
“What do I do, Fury?”
“First, I take you home.” She opened her mouth. The resistance was strong with this one, but I pushed my finger to her lips, the flesh hot and so soft, distracting me for a second. “Then you can either call the police and report it to them, or you can decide to let me deal with it.”
Her lips moved against me, pulling together, pursing as she didn’t like my words, and then she pulled her head back a fraction of a centimetre, just enough that I felt the rush of cool air against my finger, lingering where her hot breath had just been.
“I think I need to call the police.”
“Ok, doll. Do what you need to do. But let’s get out of here.”
She didn’t fight me when I reached down for her leg, slipping the stiletto heel back into place, my fingers brushing over the delicate skin of her feet and the perfect bump of her ankle. How I wanted to let my hand slip under those trousers again, and never stop, but right now was not the time, however much I wanted it. However much my cock throbbed against my jeans, rubbing against the coarse material. I’d never craved someone or something so much in my life. This woman was like a drug, one I knew would push me over all limits of my control, into the oblivion of ecstasy.
Heidi didn’t shrug my arm from the small of her back as I guided her through the building to the front doors and into the dark of night beyond them. Outside, the air was icy, millions of stars in a cloudless sky, frost for sure by morning. She shivered against me, pulling the white wool overcoat around her tightly, her other arm clutching her laptop bag and handbag in one.
The big purple truck seemed almost obscene in the vacant car park, a lonely streetlight catching the metallic paintwork and the signage along the side. Heidi cocked her head, the blonde locks swaying, reading the words on the side and then looking back at me, a question in her eyes but not crossing her lips.
“My work truck. I do recovery work as well for Indie’s garage,” I clarified. “Don’t worry, it’s clean as a whistle inside.”
I opened the passenger door for her, holding out my hand but expecting her to climb in without my help just to spite me. But tonight, she didn’t, and I could see the emotional drain on her face, her hard act spent, and I wasn’t sure if I liked it this way.
We drove through the city, the only sound the rock song playing in the background from my radio, dissolving some of the tension in the truck’s cab. Eventually, the hotel loomed up over the skyline, standing higher than most of the other high-rises on the west side of Newcastle city centre. The entrance was all glass, soft gold lighting spilling off into the street, catching on the ornate uniforms of the doormen that stood either side of the entrance.
“Nice,” I whistled. “Must cost a bomb,” I commented, my eyes taking an age to reach the top of the building as I scanned them up the side, over the windows towards the very top where a series of balconies protruded into the sky.
“Doesn’t beat home, though.”
“And that is?”
“London.”
“London, baby. ‘Course it is. Right in the centre? You got a house there?” The words almost caught in my throat, a sudden reality almost making me choke.
“An apartment, yes.”
“Must cost a fortune.”
“Does.”
Heidi stopped just outside of the hotel.
“Thanks for tonight, Fury.” And this time her words were soft and sincere, a tiny hint of warmness.
She lingered in front of me, just a fraction too long. Too much of a test. And I’d never been good at school. Reaching forward, I swept an arm behind her back, tugging her to me. She exhaled, her lips moving apart slightly. And I loved those lips. Their fullness, their softness, the very taste of them from whatever lipstick or lip gloss that always seemed to make them shiny. I swept my lips over the top of them, tentatively this time, not urgent like the last. She didn’t stiffen in my arms like I’d expected. I kissed her gently, my lips gliding across hers, the tip of my tongue teasing at the gap in hers, and then I stepped away.
“Goodnight, Heidi. Stay safe for me, doll.”