A Dangerous Affair
A Dangerous Affair, chapter 4
Suddenly Tom woke and sat bolt upright.
“Tom! There’s something wrong.” Stephanie was sat up on the sofa with her face in her hands. “I feel odd, I can hardly breathe!”
He got up and went over to her. “You’ll be okay Stephie, look at me.” He pulled her hands away from her face but she kept her eyes closed. He felt her clench his hand and she dug her nails into his palm.
“Oh God, I feel so strange. Is it supposed to feel like this?” He sat next to her on the sofa and pulled her to him, holding her head against his shoulder. With a wry laugh he said, “What you never experimented with this kind of stuff in the girl’s dorms when you were younger Stephie?”
“No I certainly did not.”
He pulled back then and looked at her, smiling. “At least I’ve got my old Stephie back.” A brief smile crossed her face but was quickly replaced by a deep breath as she closed her eyes again and groaned.
“Tom, I don’t feel good.”
“I’m not surprised. You know that was a really stupid thing to do, even for a top story. Don’t try anything that stupid again, do you hear me?”
“Oh hell Tom, did I blow it?”
“Oh no, you did a really good impression of someone completely out of their head on pills though.”
She groaned again. “I remember taking the stuff and bits in-between but it all went a bit hazy after that.” She gave him a guilty look. “Thought I could handle it, guess not eh?”
“Guess not. You feeling better? Want more water?”
“Please.”
He got up and she fell back against the arm of the sofa, closing her eyes again and fighting the waves of nausea and dizziness until he returned with more water. She drank it gratefully and sat back, risking opening her eyes again to look at him. He could see she was struggling to pull it together but he could think of no other way to help her. He stood then to return to the armchair but she misunderstood his intention and looked up at him with sudden alarm.
“Are you going?” she asked in a panic. He was half standing but on hearing her question he sat back next to her again.
“You want me to stay?” He looked directly into her eyes but they darted away as she considered the question. She glanced around the room nervously, unsure of how to reply.
“Well,” she said slowly, “I guess not.” She was completely incorrigible! He knew that she wanted him there; she looked so panicked and ill.
“Look I’ll stay on here,” he gestured to the sofa. “You get to bed. Then if you need me in the night, just yell.”
“Well, if you want to then, you can stay.” He looked at her incredulously but said nothing.
She made to stand up then but faltered so he scooped an arm around her middle and pulled her up again off the sofa. She stood with his arm pressing her against him but she edged away at the unfamiliar feeling of it.
He looked down at her. “Hey, I’m not having you falling down the stairs as well today. What am I? A flaming nurse! Let me get you upstairs will you?” She made an uncomfortable sound at the back of her throat but let him manoeuvre her across the room and up the stairs. He could feel her tense with every small movement and he knew that his closeness made her feel uneasy.
At the top of the stairs she moved away from him, saying, “I can manage from here thank you.”
He gave her a cynical smile. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”
As he made his way back down the stairs he shook his head in disbelief at how she could be a hot, sexy temptress one minute and miss Ice Maiden again the next. Being around her was like some mild form of torture. How much more could a hot-blooded male take?
“Tom! There’s something wrong.” Stephanie was sat up on the sofa with her face in her hands. “I feel odd, I can hardly breathe!”
He got up and went over to her. “You’ll be okay Stephie, look at me.” He pulled her hands away from her face but she kept her eyes closed. He felt her clench his hand and she dug her nails into his palm.
“Oh God, I feel so strange. Is it supposed to feel like this?” He sat next to her on the sofa and pulled her to him, holding her head against his shoulder. With a wry laugh he said, “What you never experimented with this kind of stuff in the girl’s dorms when you were younger Stephie?”
“No I certainly did not.”
He pulled back then and looked at her, smiling. “At least I’ve got my old Stephie back.” A brief smile crossed her face but was quickly replaced by a deep breath as she closed her eyes again and groaned.
“Tom, I don’t feel good.”
“I’m not surprised. You know that was a really stupid thing to do, even for a top story. Don’t try anything that stupid again, do you hear me?”
“Oh hell Tom, did I blow it?”
“Oh no, you did a really good impression of someone completely out of their head on pills though.”
She groaned again. “I remember taking the stuff and bits in-between but it all went a bit hazy after that.” She gave him a guilty look. “Thought I could handle it, guess not eh?”
“Guess not. You feeling better? Want more water?”
“Please.”
He got up and she fell back against the arm of the sofa, closing her eyes again and fighting the waves of nausea and dizziness until he returned with more water. She drank it gratefully and sat back, risking opening her eyes again to look at him. He could see she was struggling to pull it together but he could think of no other way to help her. He stood then to return to the armchair but she misunderstood his intention and looked up at him with sudden alarm.
“Are you going?” she asked in a panic. He was half standing but on hearing her question he sat back next to her again.
“You want me to stay?” He looked directly into her eyes but they darted away as she considered the question. She glanced around the room nervously, unsure of how to reply.
“Well,” she said slowly, “I guess not.” She was completely incorrigible! He knew that she wanted him there; she looked so panicked and ill.
“Look I’ll stay on here,” he gestured to the sofa. “You get to bed. Then if you need me in the night, just yell.”
“Well, if you want to then, you can stay.” He looked at her incredulously but said nothing.
She made to stand up then but faltered so he scooped an arm around her middle and pulled her up again off the sofa. She stood with his arm pressing her against him but she edged away at the unfamiliar feeling of it.
He looked down at her. “Hey, I’m not having you falling down the stairs as well today. What am I? A flaming nurse! Let me get you upstairs will you?” She made an uncomfortable sound at the back of her throat but let him manoeuvre her across the room and up the stairs. He could feel her tense with every small movement and he knew that his closeness made her feel uneasy.
At the top of the stairs she moved away from him, saying, “I can manage from here thank you.”
He gave her a cynical smile. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”
As he made his way back down the stairs he shook his head in disbelief at how she could be a hot, sexy temptress one minute and miss Ice Maiden again the next. Being around her was like some mild form of torture. How much more could a hot-blooded male take?