Waiting to Happen

"You can leave that now, Ange," I told her. "I'll take care of it."

I told her to get some rest and thanked the visibly tired older woman as she turned to leave. I walked behind Angie but I did not see her out, stopping instead at where Hailey knelt. I crouched down on the floor beside the redhead and stopped her hand from picking up yet another piece of glass.

"You should go, too," I said as Hailey looked at me. "They're probably waiting for you back in HQ."

Her blue eyes were soft as she reached out to tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear, and the smile on her face was uncertain but kind as her hand fell away. I looked down as I felt a lump form in the back of my throat.

"How is she?" Hailey asked, ignoring what I had just said.

"She's sleeping," I answered as I began picking up some of the broken pieces as well. I could still feel Hailey's eyes on me and told her before she could ask. "Alzheimer's. Early stages. Carmen was my mother."

"I'm so sorry," Hailey said, her hand touching my arm. "If there's anything I can—"

"You can leave." I said. The words sounded harsh even to my ears, and I tried to soften their blow. "Really, Hailey. You've helped enough, and I appreciate it. It's just, I really need to be alone right now."

Her presence was too overwhelming for me at the moment. All of a sudden, Hailey was in my life instead of the other way around. I felt exposed and vulnerable. I couldn't be those things and take care of my grandmother at the same time.

"Please," I whispered when Hailey hesitated, finally looking her in the eye.

"Okay, Claire," Hailey nodded, looking at me helplessly as she handed me my keys. I turned my eyes back to the floor as she stood up and walked away. It wasn't until I heard the door close behind her that I allowed my shoulders to sag as the tears came.

***

I took my grandmother to her doctor the next day and he wanted to keep her overnight for observation while they ran some tests. He told me of the possibility that my grandmother's condition was worsening before I left, and suggested that I start looking into nursing homes to get her the proper care that she would need.

Hailey had texted and called a couple of times but I didn't pick up, choosing to deal with that another day. I focused and checked on my finances instead as soon as I got home and confirmed what I already knew—even if I used all the money I had saved up for my third year at law school, it wouldn't be enough to sustain nursing home bills for long.

I needed more money and I needed to take every job I could get.

It was then that I noticed the tab on the Colorado data base flashing on my laptop and realized I had completely forgotten about it in the last few days. I clicked the tab and stared at the screen before me.

There was a hit on Matthew Byrne and it was the kind that could get me paid.

Seven

I read the file as I printed it out. When Matthew Byrne was 19, he had been arrested for beating up a scrawny 17-year-old badly enough to send the kid to a hospital with a busted lip and a few broken ribs. A bigger campaign would have been able to manage this sort of thing coming out by throwing more money into PR, but I knew that Byrne just didn't have that budget.

I took the paper from the printer, intending to hand it over to G&P first thing in the morning and collect my check. Except 20 minutes later, I found myself knocking on Hailey's door instead.

It took a while before she answered, wearing a robe over the white camisole and striped pink pajamas that she had on. She had her auburn hair up and looked just about ready for bed.

"Claire!" Hailey seemed pleasantly surprised when she saw me.

"May I come in?" I asked her impatiently. Hailey nodded, stepping aside to let me in.

"Mind telling me what this is about?" I asked as I handed her Matthew's file on my way inside her dim apartment. Her apartment was dim, with only a single kitchen light on besides the moon streaming in from her living room window. I turned around and saw the recognition on her face as she stared at the piece of paper in her hand.

She looked up at me in shock and confusion. "How did you—?"

"Does it matter?" I sneered, causing Hailey to flinch at the anger in my tone.

I was angry at Matt for having a record. I was angry at the world for not being a perfect place. But most of all, I was furious with myself for what I was about to do to the campaign and I was lashing out at Hailey, desperate for an excuse not to do it when I had never been conflicted before.

"Is this what we do now, Hailey? Sell BS to people?" I continued. "I mean, everyone's working their butts off telling people what a great guy Matt Byrne is. How he cares. How he's against violence and bullying—when he's a bully himself!"

"He wasn't!" Her own raised tone seemed to surprise even Hailey and she repeated in a calmer voice. "He wasn't."

I opened my mouth, unwilling to believe her when the proof said otherwise, but Hailey held up her hand.

"Okay, yes. This happened." She admitted, shaking the file in her hand as if it disgusted her. "But it isn't what you think."

I stayed silent, the doubt still apparent on my face as I crossed my arms over my chest and I waited for Hailey to explain further. She hesitated for a moment before sighing in resignation.

"When we lived in Colorado," she began, wringing her hands in front of her as she walked past me towards her living room and I followed. "I became best friends with this girl named Rachel. She was pretty and popular and, for a while, we grew really close."

I shifted impatiently, unsure where this was going. Hailey saw it and started slowly pacing in front of me as she continued.

"Anyway, I kind of fell in love with Rachel, but I made the mistake of telling her how I felt in a letter." She glanced at me with a small, bitter laugh. "By the next day, it was all over school—how I was gay, how I tried to get with Rachel. There were all kinds of rumors—you know how these things get blown up. I lost my friends, and I got teased and harassed over it, everyday."

Her words were like ice water, dousing my anger and replacing it with a cold, creeping dread. I still didn't know how this related to Matt's file but, somehow, I knew that I wasn't going to like it when I find out. I moved towards Hailey, but again she held up her hand.

"I was 16, this was a long time ago. I can talk about this now," she assured me, but the way she wouldn't meet my gaze now told me otherwise. Still, I nodded and Hailey went on.

"You have to know, that my family had no idea that this was going on. Matt was away at college, and I wasn't ready to come out yet, so I didn't tell my parents. They only found out when I was hospitalized."

I forced myself to stay still when all I wanted to do in that moment was to hold her.

"There was this kid," she explained, finally looking me straight in the eyes. "I don't know, maybe he was showing off for his friends or something, but he shoved me inside my locker and wrote the word 'DYKE' on it. I broke my wrist trying to fight him. It was a half hour later before the janitor heard me and called the principal to get me out."

"Oh my God—" I breathed, but Hailey wasn't finished.

"I begged my parents to move back here. When they told Matt what had happened, he went home, and he came with me when I had to get my things out of my locker." She shook her head and tried to smile, as if that would convince me that everything was now okay. "But the kid—Dylan—couldn't resist getting in one more dig when we passed by him. He called me a dyke again, and Matt just lo—"

I crossed the few steps between us and kissed Hailey to stop her from talking. I didn't need to hear any more. I felt like the heel that I was for forcing her to tell and relive this part of her life in the first place.

Hailey drew away the moment my lips touched hers, her blue eyes glassy with emotion as they searched mine. I swallowed, my breaths coming quick as I tried to come up with the words to tell her how I was feeling, but I couldn't speak.

We both stood there, unmoving until Hailey shrugged and smiled at me. A tear fell from her left eye as she did so, and I caught it as it reached the corner of her lips. The air grew thick as my thumb continued to rub against her skin and suddenly, I had no other reason for kissing her other than that I wanted to. Badly.

I closed my eyes as my lips met hers, one of my hands going to the small of her back to press her close. I prayed a silent 'Thank You' when the hand she had put up against my shoulders stretched to wrap around my neck and cradled the back of my head as Hailey returned my kiss.

I sighed, my tongue swiping across her lips before delving to know the taste of her once again. I deepened the kiss when Hailey's tongue met mine, moaning in satisfaction as we explored each other's mouths.

It was a different kiss than the one we had on the dance floor—more urgent and passionate, driving us both beyond mere kisses. It was as if the dam had broken, and there was nothing holding back my desire for Hailey anymore.

I pushed her robe past her shoulders, my hands frenzied while Hailey hurried to free her arms from the sleeves, giving me more access to her body. They roamed over her sides and stomach before cupping both of her breasts, and Hailey whimpered against my lips as I firmly squeezed the soft, round orbs in my hands.

I broke the kiss, my mouth seeking and finding the sensitive spot on her neck. Hailey's hands weren't idle as I nipped and licked, her nails going under the hem of my shirt to drag upwards against my back. I answered by coaxing her nipples erect over the fabric of her camisole and gently pulling on both.

Hailey sighed as her body shivered, and then gasped as my fingers involuntarily tightened on the little nubs at her reaction. I wanted her. All of her.

I lifted my head from the crook of her neck at the same time my hands lifted the thin fabric she wore. Hailey cooperated readily, raising her arms as I took the garment off of her. I kissed her lips again as the camisole went over her head, my hands immediately reveling in the smoothness of her back as I withdrew.

My eyes feasted on the moonlit glory of Hailey's breasts before my mouth followed. Hailey's hand fell onto my head as I bent down to lick her left nipple, and tightened its grip on my hair when I drew the rosy bud into my mouth. I rolled it around my tongue as I sucked, encouraged by the sounds of pleasure coming from Hailey's lips.

It was a while before I dragged my lips across the valley between her breasts, and hungrily sought her other nub. I explored it with the same leisure, feeling myself getting wetter as Hailey's body began to urgently squirm against me. I eased my mouth off her breast, grazing the sensitive nipple with my teeth before reluctantly letting go.

Hailey's eyes were dazed and heavy-lidded as they looked into mine. "Bedroom?" I suggested breathlessly.

"Yeah," she just as breathlessly agreed, taking my hand and leading the way. We stopped and kissed a couple of times while Hailey unbuttoned my shirt, the garment unceremoniously falling to the floor as we entered her bedroom.

I let Hailey steer me until the backs of my knees hit the edge of her bed, causing me to lose my balance and fall backwards. I looked up at Hailey, and the lamplight allowed my eyes to drink up Hailey's half-naked form as she joined me on the soft mattress.

I wore a black bra over my 34b's and Hailey began kissing me again as she reached behind me to unhook it. I groaned when her warm hand grazed the tip of my now bare nipple before possessively closing upon my right breast.

My back arched in pleasure but my hands were just as urgent as hers, snaking under the waistband of her jammies from behind. My palm trailed over the round cheeks of her ass as I slid a finger across the slick wetness between her thighs.

"Oh, yessss!" Hailey hissed as the tip of my finger pressed against her clit, her grip pleasantly tightening on my breast. I reacted with my own moan and she broke the kiss, the deep pools of her eyes locking into mine as her hips began to move. A torrent of breathy sounds escaped her lips as my finger slid back and forth, coating the sensitive nub of her clit with her own juices.

When she couldn't take any more, Hailey began fumbling with my jeans, shivering against my hands as I traced circles on her clit. She lifted herself off me abruptly, tugging at my jeans and I scrambled to help get it off. Hailey made quicker work with her pajama bottoms and soon, we were back to kissing on her bed naked, her creamy skin stark and smooth against my tan.

A tingle ran through my spine as her fingers gently parted my thighs. Hailey shifted to place her legs between mine, her lips placing soft kisses on my cheek and chin before her tongue trailed a slow wet line down my throat. Her hand pressed lightly on my stomach, urging me to lie on my back while it forged its path upward.

Her thigh pushed firmly against my clit, and I moaned in both pleasure in frustration as my hips arched against her. My breasts were too sensitive now for the light circles her palm was making, and I placed my hand on top of hers and squeezed hard.

Hailey needed no further prompting, gripping my breast and pinching my nipple as she gave it a little twist. She stopped her movements between my thighs and straightened as she got into position. Her thick, auburn hair had come loose, and she pushed it to the side as she gazed down on me.

My breath caught at the sight of her hovering over me, the very same features that gave her an air of soft innocence now making her look wanton.

"You're so beautiful," she said softly as her nails dragged lightly down my stomach. And then her hands travelled underneath my thighs, settling on the backs of my knees as she spread my legs upward and exposed my glistening cunt to the hunger in her eyes. I gasped when her fingers parted my pussy lips and give my clit a quick little rub.

"So beautiful." She repeated before she bent down to taste my wetness.

"Oh, fuuuuck," I moaned in pleasure, shuddering as she dug her nails onto my thighs and pressed her face firmly against my mound, her tongue twirling my clitoris inside the warmth of her mouth.

My orgasm built quickly, and I grabbed a fistful of Hailey's hair to keep her in place as I moved my hips beneath her. My other hand played mindlessly with my right nipple as I breathlessly urged her on. Hailey answered with her own moans, nearly bringing me over the edge every time her lips vibrated against my clit.

I felt the full length of her two middle fingers when they slid deeply into me, and it was then that I exploded, my head falling back against the pillows while I closed my eyes against the pulsing pleasure that racked through my body.

Hailey slid up languidly, kissing me as she finally eased her fingers out, and I grew hungrier as I sampled my own, feint taste in her mouth. I had her body pinned under mine in one swift motion, our breasts pressing as I spread her thighs open. Hailey gasped as my fingers smoothly plunged into her slippery warmth, and my tongue traced the outline of her lips before delving into her mouth.

I moved my fingers inside her in a steady rhythm as they dragged against the walls of her flesh. I lifted my head, my eyes drinking up her sultry features as I increased my pace. The sounds that escaped Hailey's lips each time I drove full length into her grew louder, especially when her hips began meeting my thrusts.

I felt her tighten around my fingers and knew she was close. I shifted and began grinding my slick clit against her thighs as we moved together, moaning and gasping with mounting pleasure until our urgency brought forth Hailey's climax.

She screamed my name once and repeated it in whispers while she came all over my fingers. Her eyes stared into mine as she continued to buck mindlessly against me, her hand closing on my wrist to keep me buried in her warmth. I came a second time, my sighs mixing with her own while I shuddered against her leg. I fell against her, my face pressing against her neck as we both struggled to come down from a haze of pleasure.

I rolled over as our breathing returned to normal and Hailey's body followed as I sank back into her mattress. She draped one of her legs over mine and rested her left forearm on my stomach, her fingers lazily drawing lines on my collar bone as she drifted off to sleep.

I listened to her even breathing and pulled her close, slowly coming to terms with just how deeply I was falling for this incredible woman in my arms.

I laid there, thinking of how I was always causing ruin to one faceless schmuck or another in my line of work. I was no hero and I probably never will be, but I didn't want to be a villain in Hailey's life. I closed my eyes, resolving to do what was needed to keep her in mine.

Eight

I left Hailey's apartment the next morning feeling like everything in my world had come together in a single night and I knew my exact place in it. We shared a kiss as she showed me out the door, promising to call each other before I headed to take my grandmother home from the hospital. She texted me, once, to let me know that she was on her way to HQ and I replied, telling her that I would see her later.

My grandmother was in great spirits as Angie and I settled her in. The three of us had lunch together, and it was a little past one in the afternoon before I left the two of them.

I went to G&P and told Ross that I didn't find anything, that Matthew Byrne was clean, and that Carl Radnor's resources would be better spent on more important things than bringing down Byrne's small campaign. Ross sat in his chair, regarding me with an amused smile until I had finished talking.

"That's really none of your concern now, Torres," he told me with his sleazy smirk. "It's too bad you didn't find anything on the guy, but here."

Ross moved to hand me a check and my eyes widened as I looked at it. The figure on it was twice the amount they would need to pay me had I been able to give them something. I looked at the lawyer suspiciously.

"For your trouble." He clarified, leaning back on his chair.

"But I didn't have anything on Byrne." I protested. It just didn't add up.

"Yeah, but you tried and, believe it or not, you've been very helpful," Ross told me. Before I could protest some more, the man added, "Just consider that as an—appreciation—of the work you do for us."

I stepped back, still unsatisfied with his answer but unable to think of any reason why I shouldn't accept it. I mean, I needed the money, so what did I care if some douche bag lawyer wanted to pay me for nothing?

I folded the check and put it in my back pocket as I walked away, mentally crossing this task off my to-do list. I still needed to come clean to Hailey, which was the scary part. I dreaded her reaction but, after the night we had spent together, I was hopeful that she wouldn't find it too hard to forgive me and maybe help me warn Matt of what G&P might do next.

***

An unusual sight greeted me when I got to HQ that afternoon. There were hardly any people, and the ones that were there all had sullen expressions on their faces. Not a single person was making phone calls or banners, and most of the desks had been cleared.

I saw Bear and Celine talking to each other and headed over to them.

"What's going on?" I asked, and they both looked at my direction.

"What do you mean what's going on? What rock have you been hiding under?" Celine questioned. She studied me for a moment, the confused look on my face prompting her to take out her phone. I glanced at Bear, who just nodded solemnly at me as Celine typed in a few keys and showed me her screen.