“What will you do?” I asked.
“Nothing, Brooke. He can’t take back what he said and he was way out of line. He’s staying at the hotel for a while. Evelyn will take him some clothes tomorrow and to be honest, that’s fine by me.”
“Oh Robert. I don’t know what to say. You can’t leave it like this.”
“I can, Brooke. As I told you, no one brings you into this shit, least of all Travis. He should know better. I find the one good thing in my life and he tries to bring it down. I’d knock the fucker from here to kingdom come if he puts himself in front of me right now.”
“He’s your brother, Robert.”
“And you’re my wife, my fucking reason for breathing, Brooke. You are more important to me than anyone. I can live without Travis, I can’t exist without you.”
Chapter Eleven
We hadn’t seen Travis for three days and the funeral was drawing close. I had urged Robert to contact him, to resolve their differences. I could get over what Travis had said, he wasn’t thinking straight but Robert’s attitude worried me. Losing Travis was like losing part of himself and it showed. He was sad. He smiled when he should, he chatted and went to work as normal but there was something missing. He made love to me, sometimes with such tenderness, sometimes with such passion but he wasn’t totally with me in his mind. I needed to do something.
“Richard, I’m going to take a couple of hours off this afternoon. I can’t let this thing go on any longer with Robert and Travis,” I said as I sat at his desk.
“I agree. We’ve all spoken to both of them but they’re as stubborn as each other. I have to say, Brooke, Travis was wrong in what he said. I think he just doesn’t know how to come back from that.”
“That may be the case but he’s grieving, he hasn’t thought through what he said and we have to put a stop to this. It’s Caroline’s funeral tomorrow, I’m not sure if we should go or not. I spoke to Elaine, she doesn’t know about their falling out but said she was hoping Robert and I would be there.”
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
“I’m going to the hotel, see if Travis will speak to me.”
Evelyn had spoken to Travis a couple of times but for the past day he had stopped taking anyone’s calls. I had sent him a text, he hadn’t replied. There were still last minute arrangements to make for the funeral and Evelyn had been run off her feet dealing with it all. Elaine knew Travis had disappeared for a few days but she had no idea why. When she had asked me, I simply told her that he had fallen apart and needed some time to be alone. However, it was Harley we were also worried about. He had been asking for Travis and that was going to be my angle, should Travis agree to see me of course.
Gary met me in the foyer and we made our way to the car. I had told him to take me to the hotel and wait for me. I walked though to the reception desk and asked for the Manager. A rather snotty receptionist demanded to know who I was and her face paled when I gave my name. A few minutes later the Manager arrived.
“Mrs. Stone, it’s a pleasure to see you. What can I do for you?” he asked.
“I need to see Travis, can you give me a key to his room,” I replied.
He hesitated at first, not sure what to do. It wasn’t the done thing to give out room keys even to the wife of the owner.
“Mrs. Stone can I say something in confidence? Travis hasn’t left his room, he won’t allow anyone to enter and clean. He has ordered from room service, alcohol mainly. Are you sure you want to visit him?”
“Yes, and thank you for telling me that but if you can get me a key, I’ll go and see what’s going on.”
He made his way behind the reception desk for a spare key. It was numbered and as I made my way to the lift I noticed Travis had booked himself into the penthouse suite. The lift doors opened to a small hallway with just the one door facing it. I stood for a little while unsure if I was doing the right thing. Other than Richard, I hadn’t told anyone I was visiting. Robert would be furious but I had to try something. Talking to Travis was the only thing I could think of.
I knocked first, I didn’t want to barge in. I waited and listened for any sounds. For a minute or so I stood outside the door before taking a deep breath and inserting the key. I heard a soft click and opened the door into a lounge area.
There were dinner plates with meals half eaten left on a table to one side of the room. Empty bottles of beer and spirits lay on a coffee table, the floor and the sofa. The TV was on but muted. The curtains were closed and the room stunk of sweat, alcohol and rotting food. I made my way to the other side of the room, pulled the curtains to one side and swung the windows open wide.
The suite contained two bedrooms, the lounge and a bathroom. Both bedroom doors were closed. As I walked towards one I glanced into the bathroom. It was pristine as if it hadn’t been used. Fluffy white towels were folded on a rack and the complimentary toiletries were still in their wrappers. I opened the door to one of the bedrooms. Again the curtains were closed, the bedding was strewn over the floor but there was no sign of Travis. I headed for the other room.
I suddenly felt nervous. Judging by the state of the suite, the empty alcohol bottles, I wasn’t expecting to find him bright and cheery. I slowly opened the door. It was the smell that hit me first, the overpowering smell of stale booze. A body lay prone on the bed.
The carpet was plush, silencing my approach. Travis lay on his back, one arm thrown across his face and yet another empty bottle beside him. I stared at his chest watching for any movement. I saw a shallow rise and fall and let out a sigh. Leaving him for a moment, I made my way to the curtains pulling them to the side and again, opening the windows to let out the smell and some fresh air in. He groaned as the light hit his face.
“Travis, wake up,” I said, gently shaking him.
He swung his arm and I only just managed to move back out of the way in time.
“Trav, time to get up,” I said, louder this time.
He looked like a tramp. His clothes must have been days old, wrinkled and stained. His hair was plastered to his head, probably with sweat from the heat of the room and the alcohol. Again I shook him, trying to rouse him.
“Fuck off,” he mumbled.
“Once you’re up I will, now open your eyes.”
He growled, rolled onto his side and threw up over the bed covers.
“Shit. Get the fuck up, Travis,” I said.
I pulled on his arm until he was in a sitting position. Finally he opened his eyes and looked at me although I doubted very much he would have been able to focus. I wrapped one of his arms around my shoulders and tried to get him to stand. He was so heavy but on wobbly legs we made our way to the bathroom. It was hard going and one or two times I very nearly let him fall. I slid the shower door open and he fell in a sitting position on the base. Reaching in, I turned the water on.
“What the fuck...” he said.
“Do not move until you are at least half sobered up,” I replied.
I made my way back to the bedroom and pulled the bed covers off rolling them into a ball. With the windows open, the rooms were starting to smell a little better. Leaving the bedding by the door, I walked to the bathroom. Travis was exactly as I’d left him, the water from the shower soaking through his clothes. With shaky hands he pulled his shirt over his head. He managed to stand although swayed from side to side and unbuttoned his jeans. I left the room then. Standing and surveying the mess in the lounge, I decided it was not fair to allow the housekeepers to deal with that. I rang down to room service and requested a very large pot of coffee, two rounds of sandwiches and a couple of large bin bags. At first they didn’t understand until I remembered to substitute bin for trash.
I started to gather the bottles, piled the dishes ready for collection and kept an eye on the bathroom door that I had left open. I could hear the water still running and the slap of wet clothing as it hit the tiled floor. Travis was mumbling, I couldn’t make out the words but he didn’t sound happy. I
didn’t care, it was madness. He was lucky not to be dead with the amount of bottles I was piling up. I started to get angry. Forget his argument with Robert, his thoughts on me, Harley and Elaine relied on him and he had opted, yet again, to run away and drown his sorrows.
“You are one selfish son of a bitch,” I called out.
“Yeah, that’s about right,” he replied.
A knock on the door stopped me from replying. I opened it to let room service in. While they loaded the empty plates on their trolley I took the bags and filled one with empty bottles, the other with the dirty bed linen. They offered to send up house keeping but I declined, asking for them to deposit some clean bedding outside the door instead. As they left, Travis walked into the lounge with a towel around his waist.
He sat at the table and I poured a black coffee, pushing a plate of sandwiches towards him. He shook his head at the sandwiches but took small sips of the coffee.
“How’s Robert?” he asked.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” I replied. “Look at the state of you, I’m surprised you’re fucking alive.”
“Don’t lecture me, Brooke. You shouldn’t even be here. How the fuck did you get in anyway?”
“An amazing invention called a key. I’m not lecturing you, I’m concerned. It’s the funeral tomorrow, Travis, you need to get yourself together.”
“What do you think this is, huh? I don’t need reminding that Caroline is going to be fucking buried, I’ve been trying to forget.”
“You’ve been running away again. Unless you get a brain transplant, you can’t forget. It will still be there when you sober up, Trav.”
“Fuck off, Brooke. I don’t need this right now,” he shouted.
“No. You’re going to listen to me. You can blame whoever you want for what happened but remember this, you are responsible as much as the rest of us. None of us can take back what happened. Do you think Robert hasn’t sat and wished he had done things differently? Well, no one can change the past. In the meantime, there’s a little boy that you have abandoned. He needs you, so stop with the pity party and fucking man up.” By the end of my sentence I was shouting.
I don’t think I had ever cursed so much and I don’t remember the last time I felt that angry but I was going to make Travis listen to me.
“You’re hurting, Trav. I know what that feels like. I know you want to hit out, blame the world, go back in time but you can’t. She’s dead and we are all sorry for that. Me being around didn’t kill her, Robert didn’t kill her anymore than you did.”
He spun off his chair standing so close but I wouldn’t back away. I kept my eyes fixed on his. I was a little over five feet tall, Travis a foot taller. He towered over me but he hadn’t banked on me being so angry.
“My words hit a raw nerve have they? Angry is better than drunk and lying in your own puke feeling sorry for yourself. Now drink that fucking coffee, sober up and get your arse over to Elaine’s. Do what Caroline would have wanted, comfort her son. I’d better see you tomorrow.”
I turned, grabbed my bag and walked out, leaving him standing in the middle of the room. Once I got into the lift and the doors closed, I slumped against the wall. I was shaking from head to toe. I had no idea if what I had said would have any effect, I could only wait until the following day and hope Travis showed at the funeral.
I climbed in the car and Gary drove me back to the office. All the way I deliberated on whether to tell Robert or not. I had initially gone to the hotel hoping to solve Robert and Travis’s dispute, but finding him in the state that he was, all I then hoped was that he would pull through for Harley.
***
I was already home by the time Robert arrived, he’d had a late meeting. I walked down to the front door to greet him. As he climbed out of the car, he smiled. I needed that beautiful smile and when he wrapped his arms around me, I relaxed into his chest.
“Hey baby. I missed you today,” I said.
“Good. Want to show me how much?” he said with a laugh.
Still in his arms he walked me backwards kicking the front door shut behind him. He looked briefly up the stairs before backing me into the bedroom.
“Evelyn is with Elaine, last minute things to sort out,” I said.
“So you can scream as loud as you like then, and I’m going to make you scream, baby,” he said.
Laughing, I pushed his jacket from his shoulders, loosened his tie and pulled it through the neck of his shirt. He slid his hands up my sides dragging my T-shirt over my head. One hand cupped my backside, the other held the back of my neck as he pulled me close to him, dipping his head for a kiss.
I wrapped my arms around his waist pulling his shirt free of his trousers as his kiss deepened. He slid his hand down the back of my joggers, under my panties, his fingers dug into the cheek of my backside.
“I think you have too many clothes on,” he said as he pulled his mouth from mine.
As he removed his cufflinks and pulled his shirt over his head, I fumbled with the zipper on his trousers.
“So do you,” I said.
He stood before me naked and no matter how many times I had seen him that way, his body still took my breath away. His muscular stomach with that V drawing the eye down always brought a smile to my face. He ran his hands down my shoulders and around my back, unclasping my bra. As it fell, he cupped both breasts in his hands, his palms rubbing across my nipples. I covered his hands with mine, encouraging him. He slid his hands to my sides and dragged my joggers and panties to my ankles, I stepped out of them. He was kneeling between my legs.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered.
He ran his fingers down my stomach with such light, feather like strokes that they had my skin tingling and heating under his touch. His lips gently kissed my stomach, his tongue dipped into my navel before trailing down. With his hands, he pushed my thighs apart giving him access to what he wanted. He loved to taste me, to lick and suck, to force his tongue inside me as far as he could. I ran my fingers through his hair, digging my nails into his scalp as his teeth closed around my clitoris, sending shock waves through my body. I moaned out loud. His mouth and his tongue could produce the most wonderful sensations.
I felt a pang of disappointment when his head moved back up my stomach and he stood. I could have wallowed in those sensations for ages. I reached for his head bringing his mouth to mine, tasting myself on his lips and his tongue. He pulled away, took a step back and looked at me. One hand caressed my cheek. He picked me up and laid me very gently on the bed. He laid beside me.
I reached between us and closed my hand around his hard cock. I stroked him, watching as he closed his eyes enjoying my touch. I placed one hand on his chest pushing him until he lay on his back and then sat across his thighs. I dipped my head and with the tip of my tongue, I licked away a drop of moisture. My tongue then travelled down the length of him to his balls. His hands fisted in my hair, tightening as I licked and sucked one then the other.
I covered his cock with my lips, flattening my tongue and lowering as far as I could go, sucking hard as I rose. As much as he liked to taste me, I loved the feel of him in my mouth. I loved the noise he made and the look on his face as I peeked up at him. I loved that I could make him feel the same way he made me feel.
Tugging on my hair he raised my head and pulled me over his body. I lowered myself down feeling his cock deep inside me. With his hands on my hips guiding, I rode him. Slowly at first until I felt his hips moving, pushing harder and harder into me. I had closed my eyes, my head had fallen back slightly as that familiar heat built up, those butterflies danced in my stomach and my skin tingled. I cried out his name as I came. Before the clenching had stopped in my stomach he rolled me off him and covered me with his body. He pushed into me rocking his hips against mine. He raised one of my legs, then the other until they were around his waist and he fucked me fast. Like I had done, he called out my name when he came.
He rested his forehead against mi
ne and I uncurled my legs from his waist. Once his breathing had slowed he rolled to one side.
“Didn’t quite have you screaming but it was good enough,” he said with a chuckle.
I laughed with him. “What would you do if I didn’t come one day?”
“Not going to happen. I’ve only got to look at you to have your panties soaked.”
“You are gross and big headed too,” I replied.
“True though isn’t it?”
I slapped him on the chest before rolling to the edge of the bed and making my way to the bathroom. A quick wash later and I was back in the bedroom. I pulled on my joggers and T-shirt and asked him if he wanted dinner.
“Of course. All that ‘sexercise’ has made me hungry,” he said. I laughed.
I liked Mr. Playful and I kissed him quickly on the lips before I made my way upstairs. I grilled a couple of steaks, plated some salad and as I poured two glasses of wine, he joined me. I placed the food on the counter and took a seat beside him.
“I saw Travis today,” I said.
“I know.”
“How do you know? It was a spur of the moment thing.”
“Gary checked in. Said you were at the hotel and of course, Travis is there.”
“Are you mad?”
“No, of course not. I’m surprised it took you this long. You have too much of a caring nature, Brooke, not to go and see him.”
He continued to eat his meal without asking me how Travis was or wanting to know the details. I was unsure whether to offer any information so I changed the subject.
“The retail units in Manhattan are nearly all taken,” I said.
“That’s great news. You’ve worked hard on that project, I bet you’re pleased.”
We chatted back and forth about the development and my move around the business. I had decided to stay a little longer in properties and learn about the rental side. We chatted about Sam and his family, Gerry, anything other than Travis. As usual he had eaten his meal far quicker than me and he swivelled on his chair to face to me when I took my last mouthful. Then he sighed.
Fallen Angel, Part III Page 23