Learning to Fly - 7

Chapter 7 - Going the extra mile

"OMG! You're home before me you! I heard that you were on a hot date with a devastatingly hunky man! I should've known you were up to something you dirty little whore!"

If she'd been asleep Carly would probably have committed murder, but she wasn't, she'd tried to sleep but it seemed to elude her all evening, opened her eyes she tried not to laugh, there was no animosity despite Camilla's words. "I was helping someone out, that's all."

"Yeah right!" Camilla started to change for bed, "I was all set to come home and wake you up, tell you what a great night you missed! But then a load of the reception staff turned up, all gushing about how you and 'Mr Carter' were smooching in the Grazenberg Bar. So I just HAD to find out if it was true."

"Lucas told you?" she sat bolt upright, the bastard! "I can't believe him!"

"No, he wasn't there, it was Shelly and Klaus, they came to town after work. Anyway, Paul Carter...he's gor-geous! How was the night? And how come you're home so early?"

Carly smarted slightly, annoyed that she'd snapped, she hated appearing judgemental, rolling back over to face the wall she replied, "it was a business thing, that's all."

"Business?" Camilla scoffed, "yeah I get fit men asking me help them with business decisions ALL the time!"

Carly glanced back over her shoulder, "Maybe that's due to how you dress! Anyway, I'm not saying anything else Cam, hope the suspense doesn't kill you!"

As she turned back to the wall, a pillow hit her bottom at the same time that Camilla let out a groan of frustration. Carly fell asleep with a smile on her face.

"Danica wants to talk to you!" Rochelle announced as she stepped into the creche the following day. "Do you want head up to the management suite now?" 

Carly hadn't even taken off her jacket. "Are you better now? If you weren't back in work today I was going to come and visit you!"

Rochelle smiled, "you didn't want to get too close to the stomach bug I had!" She made a 'vomitting' gesture then shook her head. "Now go see Danica, ok?"

"Any idea what she wants?" Carly was suddenly rather anxious, it hadn't been laid out in such basic terms, but there was a great deal of hinting that staff weren't meant to mix with the patrons, if they did, then it needed discretion. News that she'd met Paul seemed to have reached the internal staff gossip train pretty rapidly. 

"No idea! Don't look so worried!"

Easier said than done, thought Carly as she left she safety of the creche. She'd been really happy in the six weeks she'd been in Austria, and she'd hoped to progress, maybe move up within the organisation. This meeting could see it all crashing down around her.

The management offices were desperately quiet, but Carly presumed that wasn't unusual for a Sunday morning. As she stopped at Danica's door, she could hear heated voices coming from inside. She took a seat, not wanting to be party to anything that wasn't hers to know. 

Eventually the door was thrown open and Jens strode out into the hallway anger almost electrifying his body. It was Carly's first time to see him up close, and without the clamouring attentions of dozens of others. He was very good looking. Real movie star looks, square jaw, angled cheeks bones, if there was a catalogue of facial features in a cosmetic surgeons waiting room, then Jens would occupy every page. 

Carly laughed inside, back in her home town she'd not found one man or boy who'd made her feel as interested as several had here. She liked men, that was never in doubt, and she wasn't sexually inexperienced, she'd had a few boyfriends. But that had been more because she felt she should date people, rather than her having a carnal desire for any of them. 

Carly's mind drifted back to her eighteenth birthday, she'd been so desperate to sleep with Mark her then boyfriend, again because everyone else was 'doing it', rather than through an inability to control her teenage emotions around him. It had been a disaster, drink fuelled lust led to a less than pleasant coupling, and had ultimately destroyed the relationship. She'd not rushed to get involved with anyone again, and a couple of subsequent disasters had done little change her mind about relationships. 

She'd thought that she was the frigid turn off that Mark had called her, she'd kind of wondered if there was something wrong with her. But now here, with Jens, Paul, added to the new friends, new responsibilities, her new life...suddenly her eyes were pulled wide and she felt new, optimistic, alive for the first time in years. And distinctly normal!

Suddenly she realised her appraising gaze at Jens was being reciprocated. He raised an eyebrow in question, and did a check-out of his own, slowly running his eyes up and down her, staring for a moment more than was appropriate. Then the anger returned to his face and he stormed off across the office and into a door emblazoned with his own name.

Carly glanced the opposite way and caught Danica shaking her head in frustration, watching their boss leave, despite that Carly could tell she wasn't intimidated by him or the shouting she'd heard. Jens may be the overall resort manager, but Carly knew that Danica was a highly respected manager in her own right. Spotting Carly her face immediately changed and she smiled at the younger woman.

"Carly! Thanks for coming. Step in and have seat."

Trying to control the sudden surge of nerves, Carly followed the direction and took a seat in front of the large imposing desk. Danica looked relaxed, calm, and Carly tried to take relief from that. 

"So you're making quite an impression here Carly, Rochelle is full of praise and several respected clients have commented on your dyamicity!"

Carly let out a long slow breath of relief, "I'm glad that you're pleased with me."

"Not just me!" Danica smiled, "And this company loves innovation, rewards it even, but that's by the by. Basically Paul Carter has been here, he's explained how you've hit it off with his daughter, the progress she's made. He's really keen for you to spend more time with her, and he's willing to pay your shifts. I haven't got details yet, he's waiting to hear from Millie's therapist."

She closed the file in front of her, "Carly, you don't have to get involved in this, the hotel is happy with everything you're doing. But Mr Carter's a valuable client, so we're happy to support him if that's what you want. The choice is yours."

Carly sighed, "I told Paul, sorry Mr Carter last night that I would be happy to help, but my real obligations are to my job." Whilst Carly knew she did mean that, the thought of not helping that poor little girl was heartbreaking.

Danica smiled, "do you want me to speak to him on your behalf? I can try and work out some agreement that doesn't compromise you. I won't agree to anything until I've discussed it with you, but you won't feel directly pressured if I negotiate for you."

Carly had been concerned that her good nature may be exploited if she became emotionally involved with helping Millie, this seemed like a good solution, removing herself from any negotiations. She had to think of this as a business decision, a deal of sorts. 

"That sounds like a good idea, I am conscious that I don't want to let Rochelle and Marta down. It's hard when one of us isn't at work."

Danica smiled approvingly, "I like that attitude Carly. You're a real asset to us. Can you call up later this afternoon? I should know more then."

Carly sat cross-legged on the bed the three page schedule in her hands, each day she was to spend two or three hours with Millie in the family's chalet, it meant that she worked longer days so as not to let the creche staff down too much, but she was being financially compensated for that by Paul. She looked at the figures that accompanied the schedule. HANDSOMELY rewarded! 

Life was good! Though she was suffering from cabin fever. The snow had started thick and hard that afternoon rendering even the gentle slopes unusable. Changing into her training gear she made for the basement gym, glad that it was finally after eight and the gym was available. Her mind was alive with so much changing in her life but her body craved the same feeling. 

Opting for a treadmill, she cranked up the volume on her iPod, then gasped at the opening bars of Ice Ice Baby, Vanilla Ice was her guilty pleasure, but it wasn't music to run by. As she started a light warm up, before her sprint regime she searched play lists until she found the Kings of Leon. With a nod, her speed picked in time to Sex on Fire. 

She was shattered but this kind of workout normally hit her hard, but she needed it. Because of the heavy snow over the last few days other than the trip to the Christmas Fayre she'd barely been outside. She needed a release for all that tension.

Throwing herself into the final two hundred metre sprint she pushed herself flat out before slowing to a gentle jog.

She was stretching and easing out a few aches when she heard voices behind her turning she a group of guys most of whom she recognised as staff talking near the door. They were laughing and joking together. Before she'd finished her regime they dispersed, some going towards the changing room, a couple remaining in the gym, one of those was Lucas. He'd quickly become her nemesis, and she really needed to avoid him, she was emotionally unprepared for conflict. 

Dropping  to the floor she stretched out her legs and trunk, a few yogic moves she'd been shown by a friend, but before she could stand and leave, a 'Hello Carly', came from her right. Glancing in that direction she saw Lucas on one of the treadmills, he had his own earphones presumably pumping music, and wasn't looking in her direction. So she stood and escaped without having to engage with him.

Carly took the opportunity to use the showers at the gym, they were so much better than the ones in the staff quarters, and there was no one banging the door waiting for you to finish. So she enjoyed the luxury, the heat, the power and the relaxation, applying a hot oil hair treatment, shaving her legs and exfoliating with a salt scrub.

Curling her hair up into a clip, she pulled on a vest and her comfy tracksuit, tipping everything else back into her bag. As she opened the door and stepped out into the corridor, the door opposite to the male changing rooms opened and Carly groaned to see Lucas emerging. 

"What are you a stalker or something? Everywhere I go YOU are there!" She hated that she sounded so whiny, but he was unnerving her.

He laughed, "there was me thinking you were following me!"

Carly saw red, "what is it with you? I thought I told you the other day!"

Lucas leaned against the wall, those warm brown eyes roaming over her lazily, "oh yes! You told me you never wanted to see me again! I remember. But it's a small hotel, a small resort. We can't avoid each other, so you'd better find a way to get over it. I workout at this time every day, anyone will verify that. So forgive me if I didn't think you were looking for me!"

As her anger came to a boil like a hot kettle, Lucas stepped back, tossing hid kit bag over his shoulder and walking away, it was only as he reached the doors that led to reception that he paused to throw a final comment back at her.

"You did a really hard work out by the way, someone as fit as you would do well skiing, I hear you've never tried it. If you want a few pointers, let me know!"

A rolled up towel hit the wall beside his head, it made him laugh, then he disappeared around the corner and out of view, leaving Carly bubbling over with anger.