Inked Chaos

by Grace, M. J.

  “Don’t be daft. He isn’t holding a grudge, so why panic. Just wait and see what happens; play things by ear. He’s a busy guy, so you probably won’t see him for a while anyway. Talking of which, Razor and I aren’t going to be around for a few days. He has some business regarding the band to deal with upstate, and I’m going with him. It will only be for three days, possibly less. You’ll be alright won’t you? I’ll always have my phone on me if you need me.”

  “Sure, don’t worry about me. I’ll take advantage of you not being around and get cracking on the book. I need to knuckle down anyway.”

  “Well if you need anything, just ring. Even if I can’t help, I can get hold of someone who can. So don’t think you’re stranded on your own.” She’d smiled.

  Jen had left that afternoon, leaving me to my own devices. So I’ve spent my time swimming in the pool, and concentrating on my book, which I’m pleased to say is almost completed.

  I’m now lying in my bed watching the movie The Notebook. I’ve seen it many times, and it moves me to tears every time; the way Noah is so devoted to Allie. Loving her so much to remind her of their love every day, and in the end, not being able to live without her.

  My last conscious thought, is to wonder if a love like that really does exist, before my eyes fall and I drift off to sleep.

  *****

  I’m by a waterfall, listening to the sound of the water as it splashes over the rocks, descending into a small trickling stream below. My eyes fly open, and I lie there momentarily disorientated, still semi locked in my dream, until coming to my senses, and realising I can still hear the water.

  Swinging my legs out of bed, I place my feet on the floor, only to immediately jerk them back up again. The floor is wet. I reach over to the bedside lamp and switch it on, and glance down at the floor unable to believe my eyes. What was once polished wood, is now a small lake. Worse, there is water running down the wall at an alarming rate, enlarging that lake by the minute. Gingerly putting my feet to the floor so that I won’t slip, I walk out into the hallway, discovering the same thing. There is obviously a leak in the apartment upstairs, and because Jen and Razor arranged the rental of the apartment, I haven’t got the landlord or letting agency emergency number. I have no other choice than to phone Jen, and ask her for a contact number.

  Heading back into my bedroom, I locate and search in my bag for my mobile phone and dial Jens number, hoping that she’ll forgive me for calling her in the middle of the night. It rings out for a while and just as I’m about to hang up Razor answers.

  “Yeah Jorgi what’s up?” he queries sleepily.

  “Razor, I’m so sorry to have to ring at this time of night, but is Jen there?”

  “She’s sleeping babe. What’s up?”

  “Have you got an emergency number for the letting agent or landlord for the apartment? There’s a leak in the apartment upstairs, and there is water running down into mine.”

  “How bad is it? Can it wait ‘til the morning?”

  “It’s pretty bad. I’m not sure it should wait, but I can if you want me to, I don’t mind.”

  I feel bad enough already, having to call them. If I have to wait until morning, I will.

  “Tell me, where’s the water?” he inquires.

  “It’s running down the walls, and it’s all over the bedroom floor, and the hallway.”

  “Okay, don’t panic. I’ll contact the owner and someone will get to you to check it out. Keep your phone with you, someone will be there as soon as they can. Whatever you do, don’t try to switch any lights or electrics on.”

  “Thanks Razor.” I whisper, turning off my phone whilst casting a dubious eye towards the bedside lamp as I hang up. How stupid am I? I never even considered the electrics, automatically switching the lamp on. Do I now leave it or do I risk switching it off? I think, probably stupidly, that it will be better to switch it off. Reaching over, I quickly flick the switch and jump back onto my bed, ready to sit it out in the dark, waiting for my rescuers to arrive.

  *****

  It feels like hours since I rang and spoke to Razor, but according to my phone it has only been an hour. I’ve just sat here making plans, thinking that as the noise of the running water has gotten worse, they probably won’t be able to fix it, and I’ll have to book into a hotel. I’ve snuggled under the covers trying to stay warm, but there’s just something about the sound of running water, that’s making me have the shivers, and I feel like a block of ice.

  A loud knocking on the door startles me, making me jump, and for a second I sit there, debating whether it’s safe to see who it is. I’m very conscious of the fact that it’s the middle of the night, and I’m on my own. I thought Razor would have rung to let me know someone was on their way.

  I obviously sit there a little too long, as the pounding on the door resumes, but this time it’s accompanied by a shout of my name.

  Apprehensively moving towards the apartment door I shout “Who is it?”

  “AJ.” comes the reply in a voice I identify, now that I’m standing closer to the door.

  “Hold on.” I shout, and briefly lean my forehead against the door and close my eyes. Of all the people Razor could have called, why did he have to call him? I’m standing in a puddle of water, wearing nothing but my pyjamas, which consist of shorts and T-shirt, about to open the door to AJ Lewis, ‘Rock God’. I’d giggle if I didn’t feel humiliated by the fact.

  I haven’t heard from, or seen him since Jens party two days ago. So I’m apprehensive as I unlock the door and open it a fraction, just enough to make sure I’m not dreaming. Unfortunately, I’m not; it’s him alright and Tiny is with him. Feeling nervous, I open the door and try to make light of the situation with a joke.

  “Hi. Fancy a paddle?” I grin while stamping my feet lightly to highlight the puddle of water.

  “Shit Jorgi! I’m sorry about this. Let’s get you out of here. Have you got anything that’s dry that you can put on?” He asks as he strides past me into the apartment, with Tiny in his wake.

  “I think my clothes are okay, I just can’t see anything in the dark. If you hold on a minute I’ll see what I can find.” I say.

  “Here, take this.” he says holding out a torch.

  With a smile I thank him, take the torch and walk towards the

  bedroom.

  “Just grab something for now.” He shouts after me. “Ross will grab all your stuff and bring it afterwards. Let’s just get you somewhere dry.”

  There is no way, I’m letting Tiny rummage through my underwear to pack them. Using the torch for guidance, I quickly pull my suitcase from the top of the wardrobe, and toss it onto the bed. Quickly unzipping it, I don’t hesitate to start frantically throwing my clothes into it, underwear first. I don’t care that they aren’t folded neatly, needs must at a time like this. I then quickly pull on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt over my pyjamas, and slide my feet into a pair of flip flops, whilst muttering “appropriate” to myself giggling.

  I can hear AJ and Ross talking somewhere in the apartment, then footsteps as someone leaves.

  Grabbing my handbag, I walk out of the bedroom, carefully feeling my way with the help of the torch, in search of AJ; who I find in the lounge.

  “I’m ready. If you could just drop me at a hotel that would be great.” I inform him.

  “Right.” he answers seemingly sarcastically. “Ross has just gone to check the apartment upstairs. As soon as he’s back we can go.”

  We both lapse into silence, and starting to feel uncomfortable, I decide to woman up and apologise for my behaviour at the party.

  “AJ I’m sorr…….” I start only to be interrupted.

  “Don’t. I’m not discussing things now, with you freezing cold in the middle of the night. We’ll talk later.” Then turns towards the door as Tiny returns.

  “Got in boss, I turned the water off. It should stop now. I’ll get Frank onto it first thing.” Tiny announces.

  “Come on.” sa
ys AJ as he grabs my hand, and all but drags me out of the apartment.

  “My suitcase!” I exclaim as I’m pulled towards two parked cars. One a black Range Rover, which he walks past and heads towards the other one, a low slung blue sports car.

  “Ross will bring it don’t worry. Get in.” he says brusquely, opening the car door.

  I look from him to the car and back again, and seeing the muscle in his jaw tensing, I decide not to argue and climb into the car. As I sink down into the black leather seat, he shuts the door and stops to talk to Tiny who has just come out of the apartment building.

  While waiting for him to join me in the car, I fasten my seatbelt and take in my surroundings. I’ve never seen a car like this before, it’s so low to the ground, and I just know I’ll probably have difficulty getting out of it.

  My thoughts are interrupted by AJ swinging into the car. He immediately powers up the engine, which reverberates around me as he pulls away into the traffic lane.

  I chance a glance towards him out of the corner of my eye. He hasn’t taken his eyes off the road. This I am grateful for, due to the fact that he isn’t hanging around; though strangely I don’t feel scared by the speed we are travelling. He’s handling the car well, and intuition tells me I can trust him with our safety.

  “Nice car. What is it?” I enquire breaking the silence.

  “McLaren 650S.” he replies

  “Oh! Well I like it, but I’ll probably need help to get out of it.

  Just pre- warning you.” I joke.

  “Thanks, but don’t worry, I’ll help you out.” he says with a chuckle that turns my legs to jelly.

  I remember something he said earlier, and it doesn’t make sense.

  When I opened the apartment door to him, he apologised for the flood. Why would he do that? It’s not like it’s his responsibility. Razor would have just rung him, and said it was an emergency. My mouth starts talking before I comprehend what I’m saying.

  “What did you mean, ‘You’re sorry about this’?” I ask turning slightly in my seat to look at him. He briefly turns his head to glance at me with a frown.

  “What?” Then returns his gaze to the road.

  “When I opened the door to you, you said ‘Shit Jorgi I’m sorry

  about this’ why would you be sorry? It’s hardly your fault.”

  “Shit.” he mutters under his breath. He takes another quick glance at me, his eyes guarded and presses his lips together. Okay, now I’m starting to feel nervous. What isn’t he telling me?

  Raising my eyebrows I question, “AJ?”

  I observe as he grips the steering wheel tighter, and takes a deep breath in, before glancing at me and proceeds to shock the hell out of me.

  “It’s my apartment.” he admits with a sigh. “Well, one of mine. I own several; most of that block in fact, including the apartment that flooded, it’s a kind of side-line.”

  I stare at him, torn between disbelief and incredible anger.

  “What! You’re kidding me?” I retort. I glare at him waiting for him to admit he’s lying to me. It seems I’m waiting in vain.

  “The apartment you were going to rent was a dump.” He explains. “It seemed sensible to let you have one of mine. At least then we knew you would be safe and comfortable, with good security and not in some dive. So that was the decision we agreed on. Jen said you wouldn’t like it, so would never agree to it. So we decided to keep it to ourselves. You were never supposed to find out.”

  “Just one problem Mr Fix-it, Jen was right, I don’t like it and I found out. I’m going to kill Jen.” I snap loudly.

  “Don’t blame Jen. Raze and I talked her into it. I’ll take you to see the other place. You’ll understand why we didn’t want you to stay there. Let’s get you home, get some sleep, and we can sort it all out tomorrow.”

  “Get me home? What do you mean get me home? Just take me to the nearest hotel. I’ll sort out some other accommodation in the morning.” I remonstrate.

  This is ridiculous. How dare he be so high handed?

  “No. Not going to happen. You’re coming back to mine and like I said we will sort it all out tomorrow. Now calm down, we’re nearly there, it’s only a few more minutes.”

  I peer out of the window, and notice we are no longer in the city, but climbing up into the hills surrounding LA. I’ve been so busy arguing, I haven’t noticed us leaving the bright lights of LA behind. I can’t believe he’s being so high-handed, but I have no choice but to wait until we arrive at wherever we are going. Maybe then, I can phone for a taxi to take me to a hotel.

  AJ manoeuvres the car down what appears to be a private road, and pulls up in front of some high gates. Removing a small remote from his pocket, he presses the button, and the gates silently swing open. He drives through, and turning in my seat, I watch as they automatically close behind us.

  “Fort Knox.” I comment as he cruises down a long driveway.

  “Unfortunately a necessity, but the house is far enough away from them to not impact on the view.”

  Parking in front of one of four garages, he swings himself out of the car, and walks around to open my door.

  “Do you need a hand?” He smirks looking down at me.

  No way am I going to admit I need help, even if I do. I’d rather crawl out on all fours than ask him.

  “No thanks, I’ve got it.” I say as I climb out of the car; in what has to be said, a not so ladylike manner.

  He pulls the door down to close it, and we both walk towards the house, and I’m not sure, but I think I hear him chuckle under his breath.

  Stopping, I let my eyes wander over the house. Unable to see too clearly due to the darkness, what I can see, I have to admit is beautiful. A classically designed building with large windows, some of which are lit up making it seem welcoming and homely. It’s not the kind of home I would have expected him to have. I thought he would have been more of a bachelor pad kind of guy. Not have a home that seems to be crying out for a family to live in it.

  Following him through the front door, I find myself in a large square reception hall, with polished wooden floors, a large spiral staircase and high ceilings. Oh my, it’s beautiful. I could never imagine living in a house like this. It’s so large and airy it makes the house in Cornwall seem small and poky, which it totally isn’t.

  “Do you want a drink or anything before we turn in?” he asks.

  Before we turn in! He makes it sound like we’re going to turn in together. My imagination takes over as I visualise him lying in bed, bare chested, the sheets pulled up to his waist.

  “No, I’m fine thanks.” I say, keeping my face averted, avoiding his gaze, as I feel myself blush and my traitorous body react with the thought.

  “Are you sure?” At my nod, he continues “Right, this way then.” and starts climbing the stairs.

  I follow behind him slowly, still taking in the décor. He has some amazing artwork on the walls, and I make a mental note to remind myself to study them more closely in the morning. Stopping in front of some double doors, he waits for me to catch up.

  “Sorry.” I say as I rush to reach his side. “I was admiring the artwork, they’re amazing.”

  “Thanks. I’m not an art connoisseur. I just know what I like, and if I like it enough, I buy it. This is you.” he says opening the door and turning on the light.

  I walk into the bedroom, taking in my surroundings. The room is huge, with a deep pile cream carpet to match the beige toned walls, complementing the dark wooden furniture; and taking prominence in the room is very large bed. Its stylish and elegant and a total surprise.

  “Bathrooms through here.” he says, walking over and opening a door. “If you need anything, I’m just across the hall. I’ll leave you to it. I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast. If you turn right at the bottom of the stairs, it will take you through to the kitchen.” And turns to leave the room.

  “AJ.” I call and he stops, turning back to look at me.

&nb
sp; “Thanks…. for everything. I didn’t mean to sound so ungrateful honestly.”

  “We’ll talk tomorrow.” he smiles. “Try to get some sleep and I’ll see you for breakfast. Goodnight Jorgi.” and closes the door behind him.

  I turn and look at the bed, suddenly overcome with a tiredness I never knew existed. It’s been a long night. I quickly undress, turn out the light and climb into the vast bed. I lie there incredulous; I’m sleeping in AJ Lewis’ home! So much for calling a taxi to take me to a hotel. Oh well! I can sort everything out in the morning. I snuggle under the covers and fall asleep within seconds.

  CHAPTER 8

  Waking to sunlight streaming through the windows, I stretch myself out. I have slept like I’ve never slept before, but then I’ve never slept in a bed so big or luxurious. Glancing at the bedside clock, I promptly jump out of bed. Its ten o’clock. I can’t believe I’ve slept so late. Heading towards the bathroom, I stop abruptly, when I notice my suitcase and laptop at the base of my bed. I have even slept through someone entering the room. Mortification hits me, when I think I may have been dribbling, or even snoring. Closing my eyes I silently make a wish that I hadn’t been doing either of those things, when whoever it was entered. I grab some clean clothes and necessities and hit the bathroom.

  I’ve just finished my make-up when my mobile phone rings out, and looking at the screen I see that its Jen calling.

  “Hey Jen O’holder of the secrets. How are you today?” I greet sarcastically.

  “Okay, I hold my hands up. At least you’re talking to me, I wasn’t sure you would be.” she quietly replies.

  “The jury’s still out on that, so don’t speak too soon. How could you Jen? Now I feel beholden to the guy for the apartment. No wonder you and Razor wouldn’t take the money from me.”