Bending Steele

Chapter Ten

Adam found himself once again corralled in his limo next to a seething Jillian, who sat delicately sipping a glass of red wine while glaring at him over the rim. He purchased a nice 1999 bottle of Harlan Estate Proprietary Red from Mike before departing, as sort of a peace offering for leaving her unattended in the car. Little did he know, he would have to spend an additional 45 minutes trying to get her back in it once he made an appearance.

The cad in him wanted to leave her there livid and raging on the curb, but the gentlemanly side, kept him from actually doing it. Now he regretted his cavalier behavior and wished he would have left her behind. Her sitting there spitting and hissing at him like a pissed off ally cat didn't help alleviate the temptation. He sighed heavily, leaned back into the plush leather and closed his eyes. He desperately hoped this trip home would be a speedy one, as the limo finally pulled away from the curb.

He finally managed to relax when images of haunting grey eyes floated into his subconscious causing him to reexamine recent events. He had been tempted to interrogate Mr. Briganit for more information about the intriguing waitress, but decided against it. Choosing to believe instead, this spellbound feeling he was under was nothing more than a heavy dose of lust brought on by a difficult evening. Adam gritted his teeth against the arousal which was tightening his slacks uncomfortably. He needed to get laid, pure and simple. Stealing a look under his lashes, he caught another enraged glower from Jillian. His sex drive would have to wait. There was no way in hell he was going to chance anymore entanglements with her just to appease an itch.

Closing his eyes again, he valiantly attempted to keep his mind blank. But, no matter what he tried, a short beautiful waitress with tired grey eyes kept creeping back in, making him frown.

"What the hell!!" Erich's startled exclamation shot through the opened partition followed by the sounds of screeching tires as he slammed on the brakes and jerked the steering wheel. The limo lurched hard to the left throwing Adam forward violently. Grabbing hold of the door, he was able to keep himself from being tossed onto the floor. Jillian, on the other hand, wasn't so quick and ended up in a red silk heap.

"What the fuck?" Adam snapped at his driver as the limo shuddered to a halt. A mournful wail began emanating from the floor boards.

"I fucking hit someone!" Erich answered in a rush, turning quickly to face Adam before jumping out of the car.

"Jesus Christ." Adam scrubbed his hands over his face and shoved them through his hair. Reaching for the door, he paused when he remembered he was not alone. "Jillian?" He leaned over and grabbed her elbow. "Are you hurt?" She whimpered. "Are you alright?" He said a bit more forcefully than he intended in his concern to get outside and assess the situation.

"Do I look alright!" she screamed, flipping her long blond hair out of her red face. "No! I am not fucking alright! This has been the worst night of my fucking life!" The ferocity of her words rained him with spittle. Jerking her arm free of his touch, she continued to berate him. "You are one fucked up piece of shit! I have never been treated so...." Her tirade was interrupted by a high pitched scream coming from her lips. "My DRESS!" Sitting up abruptly, she pulled the wine soaked material away from her body and out towards Adam. "Look at my fucking dress!! It's ruined!!" She shook the soggy fabric at him accusingly.

"Put it on my bill," Adam muttered, rolling his eyes. By the vivaciousness of her continued squawking, he assumed her to be fine and bailed out of the limo.

Running around the side of the car, he stopped short of a small prone figure lying on the wet pavement. Oh God! Those boots! It couldn't be her, Adam feverishly thought as he bent down, pushing his driver out of the way.

"No," he whispered in a groan. Trixie laid spread out like a chalk outline from a crime scene. Her head was tilted to one side and a steady stream of blood from a gash on her forehead, flowed into her blond hair. The blaze from the headlights accentuated her pale flesh and had him crawling towards her on his hands and knees. Praying she wasn't dead, he carefully cradled her head gently in his lap.