Broken Truth

by Beth Ashworth

  “Well... Can you phone him tomorrow maybe?” Amelia replied, trying to reason with her. “We wouldn’t ask you to speak with him if it wasn’t important, Charlie.”

  “I know,” she sighed. “Look, I’ve got to get going because I need to be leaving soon. I love you both loads and thank you for warning me.”

  “We love you too, Charlie!”

  Snapping a quick picture of their beautiful surroundings, Charlie typed a quick accompanying text message and fired it over to both Amelia and Lucy at home in the UK. “They are going to die when they see this place,” she smiled, looking around at the hoards of well dressed people all around.

  Although she was standing at the bar area in one of the biggest fashion houses in Milan, Charlie couldn’t help but feel self conscious at the amount of skin she had on show.

  “We are in the Emporio Armani Caffe for God’s sake. Will you please quit fidgeting and making a scene?” Sophia slapped Charlie’s hands away from the hem of her dress as she tried to shimmy it down further. “Do you want people to think you are a God damn nun?”

  “No. But I don’t want them to think I’m some sort of prostitute,” she snapped, backing away from Sophia’s fussing hands. Moving too quickly, Charlie found herself wobbling precariously in the six inch platforms that were strapped murderously to her feet. “Shit,” she cursed as she fought to remain upright.

  “You need to be careful.”

  The deep and throaty sound of Jared’s voice put Charlie instantly on edge. Her knees buckled in panic as her nostrils breathed in the recognisable and potent fragrance of black pepper and ginger. The smell reminded her of the night she wanted to forget and it was enough to make her heave.

  She felt the strength of his muscles as his arms wound securely around her waist to steady her balance.

  He was close.

  Too close.

  “Get the fuck away from me,” she barked. “You do not touch me... Ever.”

  Once she had regained her balance, Charlie quickly loosened herself from his tightening grasp and moved next to Sophia who was watching the exchange. Jared’s eyes hardened as he focused on the space she had now put between their bodies.

  “Hello Sir, my name is Sophia Andrianò,” Sophia said, interrupting Jared’s malevolent and penetrating glare.

  With the distraction, she noticed his eyes warmed a little as he took Sophia’s hand in his. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Sophia. Please call me Jared,” he said, trying to work his idiotic charm.

  “Sophia?” All of a sudden Marco appeared from nowhere. “What are you doing?” The sound of his agitated voice echoed around the small area at the bar.

  Charlie saw Sophia’s eyes widen with alarm as she realised the scene before her. Instinctively she released hold of Jared’s hand and turned towards Marco. “Ciao,” she greeted, lifting her face so that he could kiss her on both cheeks.

  “Good evening Marco,” Jared nodded curtly.

  “And to you too,” he replied, beckoning Sophia to stand closer to his body.

  “Right, who wants a shot?” Charlie did her best to try and lessen the tension in the room. From her experience, she knew that alcohol was always a good place to start.

  “I will,” Jared agreed as he stepped forward towards the bar with her. He placed a twenty euro note on the sticky counter surface and gestured for two shot glasses from the bartender. “So how are you, Charlie?” he asked with a cocky smirk. “Are you excited that we are going to be working together?”

  Charlie gripped her fingers tightly to the edge of the bar. “What are you doing here Jared? Or should I call you Jay?” She took the shot glass from the bartender’s hand and knocked it back within seconds. Placing the empty glass back on the bar, she turned towards Jared expectantly. “So come on then. Are you going to continue playing games or are you going to tell me what it is that you want?”

  She saw the humour vanish from his eyes in an instant. “Which version of events would you like me to give you Charlie? Do you want the cutesy happy version or the truth?” he asked, flicking his eyes over her body. “By the way, before we get into this, I must say... you are looking mighty fine tonight.”

  She shuddered from his leering gaze. “Fuck you,” she spat.

  “Yes, we almost did if I remember correctly,” he teased. “I can remember that night quite well. You were so fucking wet for me it was craz-”

  Charlie shrieked as she caught sight of a fist flying through the air past her head. She watched as the punch connected sharply with Jared’s face causing him to fall backwards against the bar.

  “Oh my God!” She heard Sophia’s panicked voice fill the room before fingernails dug harshly into her arm and she was pulled away. “Are you alright? I just saw that guy passing money to the bouncers outside before he came running through the door straight for Jared,” she shrieked.

  At the mentioning of an unknown man, Charlie spun around on the spot.

  Her breath caught in the back of her throat as she witnessed the scene before her. She spotted a dishevelled looking Callum gripping hold of a barely conscious Jared, blood covering the plain white T-Shirt and light wash jeans that he was wearing.

  “You are fucking fired!” Callum roared into Jared’s face. “I own this company now, not you.”

  “Marco!” Sophia screamed as the Italian man approached Callum unknowingly from behind. “Please... Don’t do this,” she pleaded with him as he raised his fists in front of his face.

  Sensing an imminent threat, Callum dropped Jared’s body to the floor and ducked in time to miss Marco’s flying punch. Getting to his feet, Callum reared back quickly and launched his fist into Marco’s jaw.

  “We need to stop this,” Charlie cried, rushing forward to put herself in front of Callum. She placed her hands firmly against his chest. “No!” she shouted with as much force as she could muster.

  “Che cazzo!” Marco roared loudly.“Testa di cazzo.”

  Charlie winced at the anger spilling from Marco’s lips as Sophia tried her best to pull the aggressive Italian man away.

  Burying her head into the protective warmth of Callum’s chest, Charlie felt his rapid breaths beneath the shirt he wore as the adrenaline continued to pump throughout his body.

  “Baby...” Callum tenderly stroked his fingers along the side of her jaw. “Baby, look at me,” he commanded, his breathing still ragged and rough.

  Lifting her head off of Callum’s chest, Charlie pulled back to stare deep into his eyes.

  It was at that point that she noticed how much darker they had become in the past few weeks. His eyes were now overcast and lifeless instead of the customary glacier blue colour she remembered from before.

  “How did you find me?” she whispered.

  He chuckled as he continued to feather his fingertips over the skin on her neck. “I will always find you, Baby. And if I can’t find you then your friends will always help me.”

  She remembered the text message she sent to the girls earlier on in the evening and she shook her head with a smile. “That’s why I love them,” she murmured.

  Unable to stop herself, Charlie raised her hand and brushed her fingertips over Callum’s parted lips. She watched as his eyes fluttered closed at the contact of her skin. She could see that she was affecting him as his chest began to rise and fall faster than before.

  Feeling her own breathing start to accelerate, Charlie allowed her tongue to escape her mouth and wet her now dry lips.

  “Charlie,” Callum breathed, placing a delicate kiss over her wandering fingertips.

  Feeling his lips gently caressing her fingers, Charlie became conscious of what she was actually doing. Immediately she dropped her hand to her side and blushed with embarrassment. She didn’t want to lead him on because she knew that they were both in vulnerable positions right now.

  Callum’s eyes flickered open at the loss of contact. “I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered almost painfully. He grabbed Charlie’s hand and placed it ov
er his heart. “This has been broken without you in my life.” He splayed her fingers wide over the entire space so that she could feel the rapid beating beneath his shirt. “Do you feel that? It is beating fast for you, Charlie. It is beating fast for the woman in this world that I love so fucking much it hurts.”

  The muscles in Charlie’s stomach clenched in agony as she tried to fight the overwhelming urge to be with the man she loved.

  “Don’t,” he whispered, brushing a hand through the long and curly waves of Charlie’s chestnut coloured hair. He dipped his head towards her and blew gently over her now moistened lips. “I need to kiss you. Please let me kiss you, Baby,” he begged as his head lowered further.

  With mere centimetres separating them, Charlie flicked a glance nervously into Callum’s eyes. Although the darkness was still there, she could see something else in the background. There was a glimmer; she saw that he had promise growing steadily behind the lifelessness.

  “I need to talk to you,” Callum groaned as he blew another breath over her lips.

  She knew that they needed to talk, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready yet. The overwhelming feeling of guilt from that night in the alley continued to play on her mind. She didn’t want to hear Callum’s bitter disappointment at the poor choices she made.

  “I don’t think I’m ready,” Charlie said as she turned her head away from his stare. She tried to withdraw from him, but his grip tightened.

  “I will tell you everything that you want to know,” he promised. “You know you want answers, Charlie.” He used his fingertips to tilt her eyes back to him before his lips began to lower.

  Charlie murmured an incoherent agreement as her eyes started to close.

  Within seconds she felt the softness of Callum’s lips as he pressed his mouth gently against hers. The empty feeling of sadness and longing evaporated from her thoughts as she focused intently on the way his mouth caressed and consumed her entire body.

  She felt his hand touch the bare skin of her back, his touch igniting a fiery blaze as his fingers gently stroked a path towards her bottom. Goosebumps erupted on the surface of her body as she struggled against the familiar surging need that Callum’s presence could elicit from her.

  “God, I’ve missed you so much,” he growled possessively against her mouth as his hand firmly grasped at her.

  Charlie parted her lips marginally as a soft whimper escaped the back of her throat. She was completely tuned into him and aware of everything that he was doing to her body. She could feel the hardness of her nipples as they rubbed excruciatingly against the fabric of her dress.

  Callum pulled away from the kiss. “I just checked into a hotel not too far from here,” he rasped as he stroked his nose along the soft skin of her cheek. He waited patiently for her reaction as she slowly digested his words.

  She tensed instantaneously as alarm bells sounded in her brain. She knew that there was no way in hell she was going back with him to his hotel room without hearing answers first.

  “No,” she replied, taking Callum by surprise. Placing her hands on his chest, Charlie pushed Callum back. “No,” she repeated. “I’m not doing this Callum. I’m not falling back into the same trap as last time. I haven’t spoken to you in nearly seven weeks, so I need answers from you first before we decide anything.”

  It was the one ploy she knew Callum would exploit at his earliest opportunity and the reason she had been avoiding him for so long. Although his sexual desire was appealing and intense and something she had been craving, Charlie knew that she would be on thin ice if she didn’t put a stop to this now. If she didn’t, she knew that she would end up ruining any chance of reconciliation they still had.

  A pained expressed flashed across Callum’s face as he anxiously ran a hand through his hair. “Tomorrow,” he proposed.

  Charlie wrinkled her brow. “Tomorrow? What about tomorrow?”

  “Meet me at my hotel tomorrow morning for breakfast. We can’t let this charade go on any longer without getting the answers we both need.”

  Her lip twitched in annoyance. “What else are you hiding from me, Callum?”

  “Not now,” he tried to reason. “Please, let us do this somewhere private.” Pulling his wallet from his back pocket, Callum thumbed through the various business cards until he found the number for a hotel in the area. He passed the card to Charlie with a nod. “I will arrange for a car to pick you up outside of your apartment at eight,” he confirmed.

  “I have work.”

  “I’ll sort it.”

  “No,” Charlie shook her head. “I have work, Callum. It will be my first proper day on the job. I can’t miss it to go on a jolly with you.”

  Callum’s eyes hardened as his lips lifted into a smirk.

  “I believe you are my employee, Charlie, and I am the boss. I’m telling you to be in that car at eight tomorrow morning. I will handle everything else,” he assured.

  Thirty Three

  Charlie felt her stomach fill with nervous, apprehensive butterflies as the driver Callum sent pulled the sleek European saloon car outside of the expensive looking hotel. Unclipping her seatbelt, she shifted awkwardly in her seat until the car came to a complete stop and a member of the hotel’s staff opened her door.

  “Grazie,” she thanked, collecting her bag from the seat beside her and exiting onto the pavement in front of the hotel.

  A warm early morning breeze blew gently across Charlie’s face as she looked up at the stunning architecture of the building before her. She chuckled to herself knowing how Callum would have fussily picked this specific hotel for that reason alone.

  Walking through into the marbled lobby, Charlie gasped as her eyes took in the breathtaking scenery and decor all around. Multiple stone pillars surrounded a large water fountain that formed the focal point of the area along with multiple oil paintings and sculptures that adorned the surrounding walls and corners.

  “Beautiful,” she murmured.

  “I’d say so.”

  Charlie spun around on the spot and found herself nose to chest with Callum. Before she had chance to react, the reassuring smell of his usual aftershave wafted through her sinuses. Immediately she felt her heart kick up a notch as the familiar scent continued its assault on her senses.

  “Good morning,” Callum chuckled, bending his head to place a gentle kiss against her forehead. “I’m glad you decided to get in the car,” she heard his pleased voice.

  Charlie inhaled a long breath as Callum placed his arms around her waist. “I didn’t have much choice did I,” she replied.

  He chuckled again as he embraced her warmly. “No, you didn’t.”

  Feeling the warmth of his arms around her, Charlie found herself sighing with blissful contentment. Out of all the places in the world, this was the one place she found herself most protected and safe.

  “Shall we get some breakfast then?” Callum unwound his arms from around her body much to her dislike. Charlie didn’t want to break away from their embrace too soon because she didn’t know what the next few hours would have in store for her. She didn’t want to know whether Callum would be walking out of her life for good. It was a thought she’d rather not have.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” Callum placed two fingers under Charlie’s chin and tilted her face up to his worried eyes. “Talk to me,” he whispered, searching her face for some sort of answer.

  She closed her eyes.

  She didn’t want to look at him.

  “I meant what I said,” Callum told her.

  Charlie slowly opened her eyes.

  “I will do anything for you,” he promised.

  A sudden tightening in her chest caught Charlie off guard. She gasped aloud at the feel of her heart pounding furiously in her chest.

  She knew that her heart was still beating with love for him.

  “I still love you,” she whispered.

  Callum’s forehead creased as he tried to contain his happiness. “I love you too... Always,”
he replied, dipping his mouth to claim her lips tenderly.

  He kept the kiss brief and pulled away after a couple of seconds. “We need to talk,” he urged, leading her towards the hotel’s restaurant.

  Charlie moved her legs compliantly and remained silent as Callum spoke and directed them towards a booth he had already reserved out of the way from prying eyes.

  “Thank you,” she smiled as he took her hand and helped her into her seat.

  Placing her bag next to her, Charlie threaded her fingers together and placed them neatly on the table in front. “It’s nice here,” she nodded as Callum slid into his seat opposite her.

  His eyes ignited with sudden humour. “Be honest, you couldn’t care less about this place. It’s me that has your attention,” he grinned, reaching across the table to clasp her hand in his.

  “Of course,” she teased. “What else could I possibly be thinking of right now?”

  He pinched her hand lightly. “Watch it,” he joked.

  Charlie couldn’t help but smile as they continued to tease and mock each other. The banter between them flowed easily without any fault.

  “Shall we order?” Callum lifted his neck and signalled a nearby waiter with his eyes.

  “Buongiorno,” the waiter greeted as he flipped up his notepad in readiness.

  She listened quietly as Callum conversed with the waiter. After ordering his own large cup of coffee, he proceeded to order Charlie a cup of strong tea with extra emphasis on the strong and a bowl of fruit to be shared.

  “Thank you,” she nodded after the waiter disappeared.

  “Don’t be silly, Baby,” he stated simply with a dismissing wave of his hand.

  Unknowingly, Charlie started to bite down on her bottom lip. She was dreading the conversation they were about to have, but knew that out of the both of them, she should be the one to initiate the topic.

  “So...” she started, flicking a glance at their entwined fingers. “Shall we just get this over with?”

  Callum narrowed his eyes. “If you start off this conversation negatively like that then we aren’t going to get anywhere are we?”