Learning to Fly - 23

Chapter 23 - Wanting the truth

Carly was furious, she wanted so badly to be seen as someone with promise, as an asset to this company. This opportunity was everything she wanted, and it had been snatched away from her. Jens needed to answer her questions. But since she'd declined a night out with him a few days ago he'd been difficult to find. 

She took out her frustrations on the treadmill. 

With adrenaline surging through her veins and perspiration soaking her body she managed for a few moments to be in a place where she forgot everything. But it had to stop, and as the treadmill slowed, the anger started to return.

"Wow! That was a bit punishing!"

Carly was bent over stretching out her over worked legs when she heard the voice, turning she saw Lucas stood by one of the cross trainers, he was stretching too.

"Are we the only people who use this place?" She couldn't hide her exasperation.

Lucas smiled, acknowledging the return of hostile Carly, "not everyone appreciates this perk of the job! So what's rattling your boat today? Or am I just back to being the bane of your life again?"

Carly wanted to laugh but couldn't, as usual she was taking out her anger and insecurity on him, and as usual he was taking it in good humour.

"Sorry Lucas." She tried to display genuine remorse on her face, but knew that the anger was winning.

"S'okay. What's got you in such a rip?"

Carly sighed, "not you! Sorry for being a bitch as usual."

He laughed, "an apology? This is a great day!" He saw her eyes widen, and realised she was struggling to maintain her equilibrium. "I'm a good listener...you know what they say, a problem shared is one halved too."

Carly paced across the room to the water fountain and took a few mouthfuls to calm herself. Turning back to Lucas she sighed, "I'm over reacting I'm sure. Hopefully I'm adding two and two and getting nine."

Lucas leaned against the wall, noting the turmoil ravaging her face. "You're no mug Carly."

The comment was met with a cascade of dramatic almost neurotic laughing. When she finally calmed herself, she looked at up, "I hate being wrong, I hate hearing 'I told you so', and I hate failing!" 

With an apologetic smile, she barged past him and out of the gym. 

After the quickest shower, Carly set off to find Jens, she couldn't wait another moment. He wasn't in any of the usual haunts around the town, and it was a busy night in this Austrian ski resort. She was dejected when she headed back up the hill to the hotel, she knew she wouldn't sleep until she'd confronted him, found out the truth. 

She was about to enter the staff door, when she had some sort of intuition. She'd not tried his chalet, after all  there was a chance that Mr Party might actually be relaxing at home on a Thursday night. 

Climbing the steps, blinking against the snow that was once again falling heavily, Carly rushed with purpose, but as she grew close to the furthest chalet, she could hear music. Slowing she turned the corner to see the lights on in Jens' place, several people were stood on the veranda drinking, the silhouette of many others highlighted on the windows. The man was having a party.

Carly took a steadying breath, then marched up to the house.

It was no casual party, there were dozens of people crammed into the house, it was rowdy, drunken, and in some rooms almost naked. Before she reached the kitchen, Markus, the only person she'd recognised, Jens' only discernible friend in the resort approached her. 

"Hey Carly!" His stunned face was tinged with nervousness.

"Markus. I was looking for Jens. I need to speak to him..."

Less stunned more nervous...Carly raised an eyebrow as she kept studying Markus.

"I think he's in the hot tub..."

Carly nodded, then turned for the back door. Jens' hot tub was down a few steps, completely isolated and completely hidden from the view of the house. When she emerged around the corner she stopped dead in her tracks, at least ten people were naked in the small round pool,  and she could barely work out where one ended and the other began. Of course she knew the word orgy, but she never thought when she'd lived in a small Scottish village that she'd witness something similar with her own eyes.

She couldn't tell if Jens was there, but didn't care either way. This was hideous and she wanted no part of it.

Climbing back to the house, she felt sick, repulsed. She hadn't thought she was a prude, but the evening's antics were making her decidedly nauseous.  Storming through the house, she bumped straight into Jens. Literally. 

Staggering to stay upright, her eyes lifted to meet his. 

"I was under the impression you were in the hot tub." He'd wrong-footed Carly, but it still didn't mean she was happy with the shenanigans she'd seen in the house. When she arrived she'd been gutted that he hadn't invited her to a party. Now she was relieved.

"Markus got it wrong! I was keeping a low profile." He swung an arm around her shoulder, "as you've been giving me a wide berth I didn't call." He attempted to lead her towards the busy lounge, but she resisted.

"I'm not just being dragged into this...party...I need to talk to you. Can we just go somewhere quiet? Upstairs?"

He grimaced a little but then nodded.

Once she reached the upstairs hallway, Carly turned to him, "you didn't consider me for the trainee management post?"

Jens closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, "there were two applicants...Karl was a strong choice..." he cupped her hand, "Look I didn't want to be accused of nepotism."

Carly felt the heat build in her body, her instinct had been to keep away from Jens. From the start. But he'd been so persistent, and now he was stopping her progress.

With fiery eyes she glared at him, "we have to be related for it to be nepotism, and there's no way we're that!"

Footsteps behind them on the stairs caused Carly to jump, taking his hand she pulled him into his bedroom. Slamming the door she looked at him again, there was no remorse in his eyes. 

"Carly, you're special, I really like you...I don't want to make things hard for you..."

"You gave no idea what hard is Jens, my home and family life is hard, working in a job that you know doesn't realise your potential is hard...if lines were crossed here they're your fault. I can't believe that you've just cut me out of the job without an interview, with no explanation..."

He took her hands, "Carly, it'll work out, we've got some time to see what's happening with us, and there'll be another one in a few months, it's got your name on it!"

"For God's sake Jens! That's not the point. I don't want to be shoehorned into a job at your favour. I've never asked for that! I just want to be treated fairly. It seems strange that within a couple of days of me turning down a date with you I'm pushed out of being considered for my dream opportunity."

He sighed, "You think it's because I was angry with you? Do you think I'm that petty?"

Carly shrugged, "I don't know anything anymore Jens." Stepping away from him she wrapped her arms around herself. It was all so confusing, so annoying. She wanted to lash out and didn't trust herself after her recent outburst with Lucas not to hit him, so she walked to the window. Looking back across the room she hadn't notice the turbulence in the room. Jens bordered on OCD, and rarely left his bed unmade, clothes tossed over the side table.

She glanced at Jens, he was looking anxiously at her. It was only then that she saw a pair of champagne glasses on the floor beside the bed.

"Oh!" The exclamation escaped before she'd even processed the finding. 

He'd been here with someone, fairly recently. All this talk of their future...glancing around the room, her eyes flew to the chink of light coming under the door to the en suite bathroom.

As she moved towards it quicker than she thought possible, Jens tried to cut her off, "Carly?"

Ignoring the question in his voice, she threw the door open, and burst into the small bathroom. There sat cross legged on the sink in just a shirt...one of his, was a tall leggy blond. Carly didn't know who it was, but suddenly everything else became clear.

Markus knew...he'd sent her out there to give Jens time to get dressed,  to distance himself from all this.

Turning to him slowly she stared at him, "what I don't understand is why you're bullshitting me about our future? If you want to screw anything female, then that's fine. But why promise me that I meant more?" When he didn't answer, she pushed her face close to his, "WHY? And why all that shit with this management job? I don't understand your games Jens."

He had the decency to look bad, but he wasn't forthcoming with any answers. As she stormed past him she elbowed him in the stomach whilst she raced down the stairs and out of the building, he was doubled up winded, and fighting to regain his breath.

It was hard to run in such heavy snow, but all Carly knew was that she wanted to put as much space between her and that horror party as able. She'd almost reached the hotel when she heard footsteps behind her. Turning she watched Jens catch her up.

She wasn't afraid, if anything her anger had increased, she had more questions and needed more answers since she'd left him a few seconds earlier. 

"If you're not going to explain yourself I encourage you to keep running as I have nothing to say to you!"

He slowed in front of her, "it's not as you think..."

Carly shook her head at the futile attempt at an excuse. "You should be begging my forgiveness, instead I get that? I don't care about the woman in your bed...I really don't. Though I do care about disease...I'll be visiting a doctor tomorrow...thanks for that. What I don't understand is why you'd hamper my chances to progress in this company. Can you tell me why you think you have the right to act like God over my life?"

He was flummoxed struggling to find an answer.

"I can't see any reason why you'd not want me to get a promotion. Nothing logical. So that makes me think instead of there being a reason for me not getting promoted, there must be a reason why you want me to stay as I am."

He met her eyes for a brief moment then he glanced away, "I don't know what you mean."

But Carly knew she was onto something.

"Either you were planning to use the promotion to keep me sweet? Keep me in your bed?" She looked at him watching for any sign of guilt, "or you knew that as a trainee manager I'd have more authority..." She shook her head, "I don't care enough about you to let you influence my career Jens. I don't know why this happened, but let me remind you, there is nothing like a woman scorned. Whatever your reason Jens, you can be sure, I will not take this lying down. I deserved to be treated fairly. And I wasn't! Your mistake!"

She rushed away before he could reach her.