Bedmates Soulmates

She was glaring at Kira.

1

"What did I do?' Kira wondered to herself. 'She looks like she's ready to claw my eyes out.

For a while, nobody spoke.

The trio stood motionless like a tableau in a stage play.

Finally, Austyn broke the silence. 'What are you doing here?"

His question, along with that deep-creased frown, was directed at Kira.

Why was his young wife squatting on the toilet seat like a frog?

'Ahem." Kira had taken the silent intermission to think up an explanation. The ladies' room on the first floor was down for maintenance. I had to come up here. I was in a hurry and must've gotten into the wrong room. "What are the odds, huh?' she thought. 'I must have passed a dozen private rooms along the way. Why can't the two of them just get a room?"

"What are you doing here at The Analogue?" Austyn narrowed his eyes.

"Um, just chilling with friends."

She thought The Analogue was just a bar.

Who would have thought there were so many rooms upstairs? -

What were the rooms for, anyway?

'Go home. Now!' Austyn snarled.

This wasn't a place for a girl like her.

His imperious tone put Kira's back up.

Who was he to tell her what to do?

She was feeling awkward and a little sheepish for interrupting the lovebirds just now.

But now she was mad-.

She clenched her fists.

Emboldened by Dutch courage, Kira was spoiling for a fight.

She'd picked up a thing or two from Glana the taekwondo master.

She bet she could go a round or two with the man.

'Why can't I be here?" she thought in a huff. "Only men are allowed entry? That's discrimination!'

The alcohol had gone to her head.

The girl worked herself up into a frenzied state.

How dare he issue orders to her like she was his subordinate!

Not to mention, he was the one in the wrong.

He was caught in flagrante delicto with another woman!

Kira wanted to shout at him, point a finger at his adulterous face and drag him down from his high horse.

But a last vestige of reason stopped her.

A ventilation fan whirred, blowing fresh air into the restroom and some sense into her alcohol-addled brain.

Kira gave a sudden jerk of her head as if starting awake from trance.

What was she doing?

Was she seriously thinking about physically fighting Austyn, her sponsor?

The man who paid her father's hospital bills, the man who put a roof over her head?

Kira pinched her thigh to keep herself awake.

When she looked up, the toothy grin had returned.

Austyn had kept his eyes on her this entire time.

'Okay, I'll leave soon," said his wife in a meek voice.

Meanwhile, in her heart, Kira was really saying, 'Leave? Not a chance! Hmph!"

Austyn had been treated to his young wife's genuine smiles before.

This was not one of them.

Austyn crossed his arms and stared down at Kira. "How long have you been here?

'So you can know how much I've seen and heard?' Kira thought.

She couldn't really blame Austyn for being suspicious.

She was a fully-grown adult, literate.

At least literate enough to read bathroom signs

Saying she got the wrong room sounded like a lame excuse even to her own ears.

Donning her most sincere look, Kira said, "I don't know, honestly. I must have fallen asleep. The ringtone woke me up.'

Deny, deny, deny!

'He has no evidence to the contrary,' Kira thought. 'He can't charge me!"

Austyn scrutinised his young wife's flushed and guileless face.

He could see his own reflection In her big, round, liquid eyes, which seemed to say, 'Look at me. I'm an open book. How can I hide anything from you?" People said eyes were the windows to the soul.

But Austyn knew Kira's windows had blinds.

She could hide her true feelings behind a winsome smile.

Deep down, she had the wiles of a fox.

Austyn remembered how calm Kira was when she saw Kayleigh and him on the news.

She didn't make a scene.

Didn't scream or get hysterical.

If anything, she went out of her way to avoid bringing up the subject.

Should he feel pleased about her composure and sensibility?

Or should he be pissed at her complete absence of emotion?

Didn't she feel jealous at all?

Kira squirmed under her husband's protracted gaze.

What was he thinking?

Was he picking apart her answer, looking for holes?

Kira felt her thigh muscles getting sore.

She'd been squatting indecorously on a toilet seat.

If he wanted to grill her further, couldn't they do it someplace else?

'Just my luck,' she thought. "The one night I splurged on a fancy night out, I ran into my overbearing husband and his mistress."

She was sighing for the umpteenth time in her heart when Austyn finally said, 'Get out of here."

Shooting to her feet, Kira said, 'Sure thing, of course. I'll leave now."

Austyn's eyes followed his young wife as she took off without a backward glance.

A hush descended into the restroom again.

Kayleigh had a sinking feeling as she watched Austyn gazing in the direction of the door long after Kira had left.

The actress thought she knew Austyn pretty well.

He would not allow anyone to have a place in his heart except for Deborah.

But the way he looked at Kira just now alarmed her.

She'd been working so hard to win him over.

No way would she allow a brazen little hussy to steal him from her!

Kayleigh narrowed her eyes.

Her nails dug into the flesh on her thigh.

""Who's the girl?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

Austyn's head whipped around.

He seemed to have just realised Kayleigh was still there.

'How did you know I was going to be at The Analogue? he demanded, ignoring her question.

Kayleigh bit her bottom lip.

'Talk!"

'Um... The club owner is a fan of mine. He knows about my relationship with you. I asked him to text me if you showed up here..."

She swallowed the rest of her words when she saw a storm gathering in his eyes

The man had a face like thunder.

Shit, she had crossed the line again.

Drink The Pain Away

Austyn loathed people keeping tabs on him.

"1

Her eyes welled up. I was. I got scared. When you stopped coming to my house, I thought I was going to lose you...I don't want to be left alone. I've already lost my brother. You are all I have now." Thinking about Finely Woods, her big brother, Kayleigh cried for real.

He was so young....

Austyn simmered down. 'Okay, stop crying. At least you know you're wrong. Just don't do it again. You don't want to find out what I do to people to stick their nose into my business."

"I won't, I promise," Kayleigh sniffled. There won't be a next time, I swear!'

'You should go home. Kai will drive you."

Kai was Austyn's right-hand man.

The assistant seldom left his boss' side.

If Austyn asked Kai to send her home, he must still care for her, right?

The thought raised her spirits somewhat.

Not wanting to overstay her welcome, Kayleigh had to comply with

his orde

Austyn came out of the restroom.

The hallway outside was deserted.

Kai had left with Kayleigh.

Austyn headed for his private room, lost in thought.

The carpeted floor absorbed the sound of his footsteps.

Austyn strolled down the seemingly endless corridor, shrouded in tomb-like silence.

He stopped abruptly and whipp

'Come out!"

around.

He squared his shoulders, eyes trained on a dim corner to his right.

He could make out a silhouette, whose face was veiled in darkness.

'Found me so soon?" a man's flippant voice said. 'Bravo. The McCarthy heir has not lost his edge."

The man raised his hands and slow-clapped.

Austyn leaned one shoulder against the wall,

Dim light from a sconce cast a yellowish hue on his face.

He curled his lip. "Liam."

Present,' Liam Cane stepped out of the shadow and raised a hand in greeting. 'Don't get me wrong. I wasn't following you. Just a happy coincidence.

Though he didn't sound happy at all.

Austyn crossed his arms. 'Seems like I went too soft on you back then and left you with all your limbs. Intact. That's why you still have the energy to hop around and make waves." Liam's eyes went cold.

Resentment flitted across his flawless face.

Too soft?

Austyn ran him out of town and almost shot him dead,

The scar on his body was a souvenir from their last meeting.

And a reminder to never underestimate Austyn McCarthy again.

Shrugging off that unpleasant memory, Liam offered his enemy his signature devil-may-care smile. "I heard you got hitched a year ago. Gee, marrying someone else so soon. I thought you'd be carrying a torch for Deborah for the rest of your life." 'Shut up!

Austyn snarled, his face contorted with rage. 'Don't you dare mention her name!'

Liam smirked.

"What? Don't tell me you're still not over your first love? While you're married to another woman? Come on, that's not fair to the current Mrs McCarthy."

Whack!

Austyn slammed a fist into Liam's face.

Liam stumbled back a step.

He ran his tongue over the inside of his mouth, tasting blood.

A thrill coursed through his veins, setting every nerve atingle.

Austyn's voice was as frosty as the arctic snow. 'If you want to play, I'll play. But the gloves are coming off. Take your best shot. The last time, I drove you out of Stamford with your tail between your legs. This time, I'll do some darhage you won't walk away from." Liam licked the blood off the corner of his mouth.

He replied to Austyn's threat with a wicked smile.

'Oh I know how invincible you are, but every Superman has his kryptonite. You better keep an eye on that sweet little wife of yours. You don't want her to turn out like a second Deborah, stabbing you in the back and throwing herself at me."

Austyn flayed his nemesis with his eyes.

Veins were popping on his forehead.

He looked like a fierce river about to burst its dams.

In the end, however, Austyn just turned around.

'Liam Cane, you've been warned."

Liam squinted at Austyn's back.

Then he broke out in a fiendish grin, his lips stained in blood.

His canine teeth glinted in the yellow light, giving him an almost vampire-like appearance.

Kira returned to the bar downstairs to find Giana gone.

She slumped down on a sofa.

As soon as she closed her eyes, the scene in the restroom came up.

It lingered on like a stubborn cold and refused to go away.

Kira would be lying to herself to say she wasn't affected at all.

It was one thing to see her husband hugging another woman on TV.

Watching them going at it hot and heavy right in front of her eyes, that was a whole new ball game.

"I'm not jealous,' she tried to convince herself. 'Just a little...disgusted

Kira cracked open another bottle of beer and took a long pull,

Alcohol was an antiseptic, right?

May it could cleanse her mind and body.

Seeing her husband with another woman made her feel unclean.

She would have been forced to watch a live sex show if not for the sudden phone call.

'Are they still doing it?"

Kira felt a throbbing pain in her temples.

She knew she was overindulging and there was a price to pay later.

But right now, alcohol provided a welcome distraction.

She wanted to fill her brain with anything but the restroom scene.

As for the dull ache in her heart, she tried her best to ignore it.

She didn't want to think about the cause of that ache....

***

Giana didn't see her friend at first.

She scanned the booth and was shocked to discover Kira had literally drunk herself under the table.

The bleary-eyed girl was sitting on the floor with her back against the sofa, a half-empty Kingway in hand.

At least half a dozen empty beer bottles were piled near her feet.

'Are you crazy?" Giana shouted. "I've been gone for just a while. How much drink did you have?

She grabbed the bottle from Kira's hand and set it down on the floor. 'Are you out of your mind?"

Kira looked up and bumped the back of her head against the sofa. 'Giana, there's two of you! You didn't tell me you had a twin sister."

Giana smacked her forehead with her palm. "You're really out of it.'

They'd come to The Analogue to unwind and to celebrate.

Giana knew Kira was thrilled about her new job, but that was no reason to drink like a fish.

The girl usually showed more restraint than this.

What had gotten into her?

The Lecher

'Come on," Giana put a hand around Kira's shoulder. 'Get up. You've had more than enough. Let's get you home."

'No!'

Kira was surprisingly strong when she was drunk.

She grasped Giana's wrist and yelled at the top of her voice, I'm not done yet. I paid for the drinks. I'll finish every last one of them!'

Giana sighed.

Even drunk, Kira still watched her pennies..

She'd forget her own name before she forgot about saving money.

"Okay, Scrooge, Giana said, 'I'll ask a waiter to pack up the unopened bottles for takeaway. Just come with me."

Kira tilted her head, trying to process the words in her alcohol-impaired mind.

'Okay,' she nodded after a long, long while. That'll do. Giana, you are a true friend. Thank you."

You can thank me by not puking on me."

Giana had to put both arms around her friend's shoulders when Kira slipped on an empty bottle and almost fell.

Kira toddled like she'd just learned how to use her legs.

They made it out of the booth without incident.

'Shit,' Giana cursed under her breath when she spotted a figure coming towards them from the end of a hallway.

She kept her head down and hugged the wall.

But luck did not break her way.

'Giana? Is that you?"

Giana pasted on a smile before looking up. 'Oh hey, Mr Morton, I didn't see you just now.'

She had recommended The Analogue to Kira because she could get employee discounts as a part-timer.

The pay was great, the working hours flexible.

She'd thought about trying to get Kira a job here if that interview with the M Group fell through.

The only downside of working here was Geoffrey Morton.

That potbellied, obnoxious manager had been secretly checking her out since day one.

He stood uncomfortably close to her when he talked and always tried to cop a feel.

Giana was smart enough to give him the slip so far.

She would stick it out for as long as the attraction of the pay outweighed the repulsion of the lecher.

The day she quit would be the day she dragged the tub of lard to the back alley and beat the living daylights out of him.

Geoffrey ran his beady eyes over Giana's shapely figure and came to rest on Kira, who was leaning against Giana's shoulder.

"Friend of yours? She seems to have had one too many. Here, let me lend you a hand."

Geoffrey licked his lips.

The girl was as beautiful as Giana, though in different ways.

This must be his lucky day.

One way or another, he was going to score tonight

The manager rubbed his greasy palms together, salivating at the thought of running them over the young, tight, fair skin of a college girl.

He bet it wasn't the only part of them that was tight.

No thanks, Mr Morton, Giana said firmly.

'Oh come on, it's no trouble at all. Geoffrey waddled up to Kira. "We're coworkers and friends. Friends help each other."

Giana wasn't as hammered as Kira, but she had downed quite a few glasses as well.

Before she could react, the manager already put an arm around Kira's waist and pulled her towards him.

Kira was so out of it that she didn't realise those short, stubby fingers around her shoulder did not belong

to Giana.

"You smell," she complained, before putting her head against the man's chest.

Giana tugged at Kira, but her pie-eyed friend batted her hand away.

Geoffrey couldn't hide a lascivious grin as he inhaled the sweet, seductive scent of the girl's hair.

Her body was so soft, her skin smooth to the touch.

His hand was on the small of her back.

He could feel her warmth underneath a thin layer of cotton fabric.

Ooh, how he looked forward to the pleasures of the young flesh!

At the other end of the hallway, Kai stood gawking at them, open-mouthed.

Was that his boss' young wife hugging a fat man?

Kai ran for the stairs.

The Analogue.

Second Floor.

VIP Lounge.

Several men sat around a poker table.

A game of Texas Hold'em was in high gear.

Jesse Chase leaned back with one arm draped over the chair.

The thirty-year-old was the youngest chief physician in the history of Stamford General, arguably the best hospital in town.

3/4

"Come on, it's your turn, one of the players called out.

"Fold," Jesse said dismissively.

He had his phone in one hand. Tsk-tsk, Kayleigh has made the gossip page headline again. It says she's slept her way to the top. Directors, actors, investors. Basically anyone who can land her a lead role or help secure her place within the A-list circle.

He turned around to glance at Austyn, his long-time pal since childhood.

The man was lounging on a sofa by himself.

A lit cigarette dangled from his fingers.

Wispy blue smoke curled upwards, obscuring his face.

It was hard enough reading his emotion without the curtain of nicotine.

Jesse tried in vain to gauge his friend's reaction to the news.

Austyn took a pull on his Sobranie Black Russian and said nothing.

Jesse nudged Luca, seated beside him. 'Do you know what's the deal between him and Kayleigh? Is he going to marry her?

"Raise," Luca blew a smoke ring in his friend's face. 'Remember Finley Woods?"

'Sure. He and Austyn served together. Died in the line of duty.' Jesse paused, coming to a sudden realisation. 'Oh, Kayleigh Woods, Finley Woods-related?

'He was Kayleigh's big brother, Luca nodded.

Jesse started to see he might have gotten the wrong idea.

He e thought Austyn had taken a romantic interest in the actress and might even marry her.

But it now seemed that Austyn was spending time with Kayleigh for an entirely

The double door to the lounge opened after a knock.

Kai came in, jogging över to Austyn.

He bent down to whisper in his employer's ear, 'Boss, I saw Young Madam downstairs.

'I know." Austyn was staring languidly into space.

reason.

'Huh? Kai backed off a step to assess the look on his boss' face. "You know your wife's downstairs, getting pawed by another man?

Austyn's head snapped up. "What did you just say?"

Kai scratched his head. 'Um, I saw Mrs McCarthy with another man."

'Tell me exactly what you saw, Austyn said, his voice ice-cold.

'After I drove Miss Woods home, I came back to The Analogue. I saw Young Madam and a man downstairs. He had his arms around her. She's drunk, I thin-

'Kai Scott!' Austyn shot to his feet before Kai had finished. That thing between your ears is called a brain.

Use it!"

He was already past Kai and on his way out.

Kal was stunned.

The Luther

What did he do wrong this time?

Austyn didn't wait for his PA to figure it out. He'd already disappeared from the door.