Controlling Vulnerable

Chapter 21

Scott prised his eyes open in the unfamiliar bedroom, feeling his head throb painfully and his mouth as dry as sawdust. He rolled on his side to sit up and saw the half-dressed woman also occupying the room and realised he had no idea if they'd had sex or merely shared the bed. He looked in distaste at her face, puffy and streaked in last night's heavy make-up. The light steaming in from the undrawn curtains revealed the woman he vaguely remembered was called Savannah or Susannah had something wrong with one of her breast implants, and it bulged at a weird angle as she lay spread-eagled in the bed. She didn't stir as Scotty got up and pulled on his discarded boxers, t-shirt and pants. He went into the bathroom, splashed water on his face, and rubbed toothpaste on his teeth since he couldn't find a toothbrush. He avoided his reflection in the mirror, knowing he wouldn't like what he saw.

Arriving in Ryan's kitchen, he found Farrah, who was wearing some guy's dark shirt. She looked up and said, "Shit, you look how I feel. I've just made coffee." Scott nodded and spotted some white powder on the dark counter. He grabbed a knife and gathered it into a line before snorting gratefully. Wiping his nose on his sleeve, he sighed in satisfaction, feeling the buzz. Farrah passed him the cup and shook her head, "You should ease off on that stuff Scotty." He laughed, taking the cup, "What are you, my mother?" She rolled her eyes and sat at the island unit, "When's Joe back?" He drank the warm, black liquid. "Flying back later today." Farrah contorted her face in disgust, "I can't believe he's with her. It can't last, right?" Scott shrugged, "Who the hell knows, but you saw the picture from that charity thing, you can see the attraction." His companion pulled a face, and Scott looked away in distaste at the sunlight peeling back what she looked like beneath the smeared makeup. "She might be upping her game, but let's face it, Joe's not gonna want to be saddled with two English brats for long." Scott shrugged his shoulders, "Trust me, nothing would make me happier than seeing him dump her because then she'll fuck right off back to London, or wherever the hell she came from. She's been a pain in my ass ever since he met her on that damn flight." He downed the rest of the coffee, revived by the caffeine and the cocaine. "I'm going to head home. I'd better show my face at the office. Linda'll be there and she loves telling Joe I'm a slacker."

Linda sat at her desk getting organised for the New Year while the office was quiet. She read Joe's message, saying he and Lara were just boarding, and she checked their flight arrival time. She and Mark had decided to meet them at the airport, bringing both of their cars so they could fit everything in. She'd called at the condo before work to drop off some groceries and found Pat excited to see her son and hear all about the trip. She looked up as Scott came in and mentally shook her head. Despite having been home to shower and dress for work, he still looked dishevelled, and if she had to guess, Linda would have said he'd taken something. She went down to the coffee shop and ordered one for Scott as well as herself, saying, "Happy New Year Colin. Can I get one for Scott? He looks like he could use it." Colin nodded, "So where's Joe?" Linda laughed, "Oh of course, you wouldn't have heard." She smirked, enjoying getting to be the one who told him, "Joe took a last-minute vacation to England." Colin turned in surprise and grinned, "He did?" She nodded, "Yeah, they fly back later today."

She took the two drinks up and diverted to Scott's office. He was alone, the office was quiet, and he looked up in surprise. "Hey, is that for me?" Linda nodded and passed him the cup. He took it with a smile and said, "Thanks Linda, I need it." She gave him a stern look and said, "I guessed. Listen Scotty, make a New Year's resolution to start taking better care of yourself." He snorted, "I already got a lecture from my Dad. I've just put a little weight on." Linda ignored his comment and said, "How is Sid? I didn't get a chance to call in when I went up for Thanksgiving." Scott drank some coffee, "He's okay. Misses Mom, but he's fine." Linda nodded and stood up, "Listen, I'm just putting a meeting in for you tomorrow when Joe's back. He wants to follow up on those contractor costs to understand why they're so high." Scott schooled his face into neutrality and nodded, "Sure Linda, I'll accept it when you send it through." When she'd closed the door and was out of sight, Scott exhaled and wiped some perspiration. He ripped up a couple of invoices he'd printed off and slid them into his confidential waste bin.